


Kidnapped To A Reunion

by Mollygail



Category: White Collar
Genre: Gen, I'm Bad At Tagging, I'm Bad At Titles, Kidnapping, Reunion
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-09
Updated: 2019-06-27
Packaged: 2019-10-25 04:48:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 14
Words: 32,232
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17718347
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mollygail/pseuds/Mollygail
Summary: Neal is kidnapped. (or is he?)





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Canon up until the end of season five, so there may be spoilers if there's anyone who hasn't seen all of White Collar. This starts out with the kidnapping scene and goes AU after that. I don't usually post stories until I'm close to having them complete but with this story, all I have so far is chapter one. I don't really know much about witness protection or the US Marshals so, it may be a little hand-wavy in that area. Let me know if you think I should continue it.

“I’m about to become the last person on earth who knows where you are.”

If there was one thing Neal was good at it was keeping a cool head in stressful situations. Most people would react to being kidnapped with panic, but Neal was not most people. His senses became keener as the level of stress increased. He noticed there were three kidnappers; the two who grabbed him and one other driving the get-away car. Neal was no expert on being kidnapped but there were a few indications that this was not what would be considered a normal kidnapping. 

The first sign was the handcuffs. As the hood was thrown over his head someone put handcuffs on him; someone who knew what they were doing. The cuffs were double locked to avoid accidental tightening and injury. 

The second sign was the seatbelt. He wasn’t thrown into the back of a cargo van. He was placed into a car firmly; with a hand on top of his head guiding him in and then the seatbelt was secured around him.

The third sign was the removal of his anklet. The kidnappers didn’t smash or cut the anklet. They used a key. Only Peter and the marshals had a key and he was sure this wasn’t Peter. 

As he listened to the conversation of the kidnappers he started to understand what was going on.

“Seriously?”, One kidnapper said to another. “ _‘I’m about to become the last person on earth who knows where you are?’_ Wasn’t that a bit mellow dramatic?” Neal mentally noted the speaker as the hand-cuffer.

“I’ve never kidnapped anyone before. What are kidnappers supposed to say?” That’s cowboy-boots-guy, Neal thought.

“This isn’t a kidnapping. This is an extraction. Take the hood off of him.” The voice of the third kidnapper came from the driver's seat and had a note of authority. The Boss. Neal had the nagging feeling that he’d heard that voice before but couldn’t quite place it. The guy in the back seat next to him, Boots, pulled the hood off of him and he got a look at his kidnappers. 

He was sure he had never seen Boots and Cuffer before but the reflection of the driver in the rearview mirror was familiar. 

“Jack Harper, long time no see. Mind telling me what’s going on?” Neal was uncomfortable with his hands cuffed behind his back but refused to squirm into a more comfortable position. 

Harper was focused on maneuvering through traffic and didn’t respond for a moment. At the next stoplight, he put the car in park got out of the car to trade places with Boots. Now sitting next to Neal he held up a handcuff key and indicated that Neal should lean forward so he could take the cuffs off. 

“Good to see you again, Danny. You’ve been a busy boy since you ran away.” Jack Harper smiled at Neal.

“My name is Neal, which I’m sure you know since you had the key to my GPS tracker.”

“For the next week or so your name is Danny. And, to answer your previous question, what’s going on is that we’re taking you to see your mom.” Jack’s tone was calm and friendly while still having a matter-of-fact firmness to it.

Neal nodded while he processed the information. “Do I have any choice in this? Why couldn’t you just have asked me if I wanted to see her instead of this whole kidnapping farce?”

Jack laughed quietly. “Payback. When you ran away I was the case agent responsible for keeping you and your mother safe. You disappeared without a trace and I caught heck for it. You were eighteen so, we had to let you go, but I was left to deal with your mother. But this is not really a kidnapping and, yes, you have a choice. Here’s your choice,” Jack’s tone became stern, “we can put the tracker back on you and take you home or, we can take you to see your mom. The woman who gave birth to you and loves you. Sure, she made mistakes and she’d be the first to admit that. Right now she is in a hospital with liver failure. She’s on the transplant list but it’s not looking good for her. She wants to see you. That’s your choice. Either we take you home or you decide not to be a selfish little snot, put on your big-boy pants, and go see your mom. What’s it going to be?”

“Well, since you put it like that, I guess I’ll go with the big-boy pants.” Neal looked Jack in the eye while he continued, “I’ve tried to find her, you know. Several times. I contacted Ellen but she said she hadn’t heard from mom in years.”

Jack sighed and shook his head. “No, your mom wouldn’t speak to Ellen after you left. She blamed Ellen for you leaving. Ellen tried to contact her through the marshal service a few times but your mom refused to communicate with her. The last time Ellen tried to contact your mother was just a week before she was killed. She told us the name you were using and where you were. Up until then, the marshals had no idea that Danny Brooks was Neal Caffrey.”

Neal laughed at that. “Seriously? All that time the marshals were chasing Caffrey they didn’t know about Danny?”

“We take our witness protection responsibilities seriously. Any information about Danny Brooks was only accessible on a need to know basis. Even your fingerprints were not in the general database as belonging to Danny Brooks.”

“What about now? You’ve just taken Neal Caffrey from FBI custody and the marshals tracking system. Isn’t somebody going to miss me?”

“Your records will show you are in the custody of the US Marshal service but the details will not be accessible to anyone. They’ll know you didn’t run, but that’s all they’ll know.”

“So, Boots and Cuffer are with the marshal service?”

Jack gave him a puzzled look. “Boots and Cuffer?”

Neal pointed to the front seat and Jack smiled when he understood. 

“Yes, marshals Davis and Northcutt. They are your protection detail. Speaking of protection…..” Jack reached up over the back of the front seat and Northcutt handed him a large brown envelope, from which Jack withdrew a new tracking anklet. “Put this on. I’m not taking any chances of you slipping away.”

Neal put on the anklet with a frown and asked, “Where are we going?”

“Pittsburgh.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Neal travels to Pittsburgh with Jack while Peter tries to find out what's going on.

Peter was beginning to get worried. He’d hated giving Neal the bad news earlier in the day about his commutation being denied and now Neal wasn’t answering his phone. The marshal’s tracking app on his phone didn’t give him a location for Neal and the only answer he could get was that Neal was in their custody. After an hour of getting the runaround from the marshals, he had called Bruce in DC.

Bruce hadn’t been happy with Peter’s persistence. “Burke, stay out of it. Consider it a vacation from Caffrey. Don’t you have any unpacking to do now that you’ve decided not to move to DC?” There was a tone of bitterness in Bruce’s voice. He hadn’t taken it at all well when Peter told him he was turning down the promotion. 

“Bruce, he’s my responsibility and I should have been informed if he was going to be arrested. Why was he arrested? He should have been given his freedom and not been arrested. Can you at least tell me why?”

“I’ve told you all I can. Drop it, Peter.” 

Peter pulled the phone away from his ear and stared at it as though he’d never been hung up on before. After a moment he dialed another number.

“Diana, I need your help.”

************************************

Neal looked at Jack and asked the obvious question. “Why Pittsburgh?”

“She’s been living in Pittsburgh for about five years. Ann was diagnosed last year with liver failure brought on by Hepatitis C. They have an excellent transplant program at UPMC.”

“How sick is she? I mean, how long does she have to live?” Neal hated to ask the question but he needed to know what to expect.

“We’re still hoping she’ll get a transplant and, the doctors aren’t talking about how long she’ll have without it. I’m sorry if I gave you the impression that she would die soon. She’s been in the hospital for a couple of days while they try to adjust her medications. She’s having a problem with swelling due to fluid retention and she has to have fluid drained from her abdomen about once a week. I think one of the hardest symptoms for her to deal with is the confusion and difficulty concentrating. We just need to pray that she gets a transplant soon.”

“You kept in touch with her after she was moved to Pittsburgh? Isn’t that a bit unusual?”

“Yeah. Listen, there are some things you need to know.” Jack hesitated, sighed, and looked out the window with an unfocused gaze. 

“You look like you don’t want to tell me whatever it is.” 

Jack turned to look at Neal again and smiled. “Well, I’m not sure how you’ll take it. You’ve been gone a long time and a lot has happened. When you left, your mother hit bottom. She cried for days and had a nervous breakdown. We had to check her into a mental hospital. She was there for about a month. She’s better now, but it was a long process.”

“I never wanted to hurt her, but finding out about James was more than I could take. I’m glad she got help. She deserves to be happy.”

“There’s something else you need to know and I’m just going to say it. Your mom and I are married.”

Neal’s eyebrows shot up and his mouth fell open. The fast-talking, slick conman was momentarily speechless. “When? I mean, uh, were you dating before I left?”

“No, you’ve been gone about fifteen years and we’ve been married for twelve years.”

“Well, as long as you’re good to her then I’m happy for you both.”

Jack nodded and smiled. “Good. That’s good. ”

Music started coming from the phone in Neal’s pocket. _“I always feel like somebody’s watching me, and I have no privacy…”_ As Neal reached into his pocket to answer the call Jack held out his hand. 

“I’m sorry, Danny, but you’ll have to give me the phone. You won’t be allowed to contact anyone until we take you back to New York.” 

Neal placed the phone in Jack’s hand and watched as the call was rejected and the battery was removed from the phone.

“That was agent Burke calling. He’s not going to take my disappearance well, you know?”

“He’ll be told you are in our custody and that you haven’t run. That’s all he needs to know and he’ll just have to accept that. I’m sure he has other things to keep him busy.”

Neal was doubtful. “Sure, he’s a busy guy, but I’m kind of an obsession for him. He caught me and he would take it personally if someone were to take me away from him.”

“You make him sound like a control freak. What about that ringtone you’ve assigned to him? You feel like he’s always watching you?”

“Well, isn’t that why the tracking information is available to him? It’s his job to watch me. I know that.” Neal shrugged. 

“Is he abusive?”, Jack asked with concern.

“What? No!” 

“Do you feel like he abuses his power where you’re concerned? You made it sound like he treats you like a possession.”

Neal laughed. “Well, I think he sees me more like a trophy. He caught the very elusive Neal Caffrey more than once and he’s understandably proud of that.” He paused and shook his head. “He’s my handler and he feels responsible for protecting me as well as making sure I stay in my radius and out of trouble. Our relationship is a bit complicated. We’re…….friends.”

Jack nodded in understanding. “For the immediate future, we are responsible for protecting you and keeping you out of trouble. Is that going to be a problem for you?”

“I think I can deal with it for a week or two.” 

“Ok, good. I haven’t had much sleep the last few days so I’m going to try to get some rest now.” Jack wadded up his jacket, shoved it against the door, and used it as a pillow. He seemed to be asleep within minutes.

Neal knew he could deal with being in the custody of the marshals but he was still having doubts about Peter’s ability to accept the situation. But, for the next two weeks, Peter was not his concern. Neal may be in the custody of the Marshals but he was also on a road trip on his way to see his mom. 

Neal thought back to the last time he had seen his mom. He’d confronted her about the things Ellen had said and there had been a huge fight. She had shouted at him saying that she was only trying to protect him. He hadn’t understood then, but a lot had happened to him since then and he had made his share of massive mistakes. He hoped she would forgive him. 

*************************  
“Diana, what have you got?” Peter stood by the window in his office trying to resist the urge to pace.

“Well, Boss, I tried checking security cameras to trace Neal’s route after he left your house, but I haven’t had any luck. If we were only dealing with the missing tracking data we should still be able to trace his route by following him from one camera to another starting with the closest ones to your house. But I think some of the camera data has also been erased. I’ve got nothing, Boss. Why would the marshals arrest him without telling you?”

“I don’t know, Diana. The marshals told me he’s not my concern right now. I’ve tried calling the Department of Corrections and everyone I spoke to claims to have no knowledge of Caffrey’s location.”

“I hate to say it but, maybe you’ll just have to wait and see what happens.”

Peter rubbed the back of his neck to ease the tension that was starting to give him a headache. “Yeah, I guess you’re probably right about that. Thanks, Diana. Let me know if you come up with anything.” He sat down at his desk and leaned back in his chair. 

“Sure, Boss. Can I get you anything? Coffee? Tylenol?”

Peter gave her a small smile and shook his head. “No thanks. There’s something else you might be able to do for me though. Do you know how to contact Mozzie?”

“I have a number but it might take a while to get him to answer. I’ll do my best. Do you want me to tell him what’s going on, or should I just tell him you want to talk to him?”

“Just tell him I need to talk to him and take notes on whatever ridiculous codes he wants to use… but I refuse to do the mockingbird thing.”  
Diana laughed as she left Peter’s office. “I’m on it, Boss.” 

***********************

“I’m nervous.” If Jack had known Neal better he would have been shocked by the admission. A good conman would never admit to being nervous unless it was part of the con.

“I’m nervous too.” 

“Why are you nervous? You’re her husband and you see her every day. I haven’t seen her in fifteen years and the last time we spoke it was in anger.”

“Well, I guess I’m nervous because I didn’t tell her I was going to bring you to see her. I also didn’t tell her I was going to kidnap you.” They were standing next to each other in the elevator and Neal turned to face Jack with a look that was part surprise and part anger.

“You didn’t tell her I was coming? What if she doesn’t want to see me?”

“Of course she wants to see you. You’re her son.”

The got off the elevator and Neal followed Jack until they stopped outside his mom’s room. 

Neal stood to the side of the doorway so his mom couldn’t see him from the bed. “You go in and tell her I’m here. Ask her if she wants to see me.”

Jack rolled his eyes and looked at him very much the way Peter sometimes did. “Fine, I’ll be right back.”

Neal, of course, stood and listened from the hallway.

“Anwen, how are you feeling?” Jack had referred to her as Ann before and Neal was surprised to hear him call her Anwen, which was her pre-WITSEC name.

“I’m ok. My back hurts from laying in this stupid bed and I’m ready to go home. How was your mysterious business trip to New York?” Neal thought he heard them share a quick kiss and it sounded like Jack had sat down in a chair.

“My trip was good, but I have a confession to make. It wasn’t a business trip. I went to New York to see Danny and I brought him back with me for a visit. Do you want to see him?”

Neal heard a faint gasp of surprise from his mom. “Danny? My Danny?” It sounded like she was starting to cry. “Of course I want to see him.”

Neal slowly moved into the doorway and looked at his mom. As she looked at him he could see tears running down her cheeks and she wiped them away with a tissue.

“Hi, Mom.” She held out her hand to him and he crossed the room and took hold of it. As she pulled him toward her he started to lose his balance and was forced to sit on the edge of her bed. She wrapped her arms around him and hugged him as if she would never let go. At first, he tried to fight the tears in his eyes but then decided a man should be allowed to cry in this situation.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Neal has a short reunion with his mom and a conversation with Jack. Neal sends a text to Peter.

After the hug ended and the tears were wiped away Neal moved to sit in the chair beside the bed. “It’s good to see you, Mom.”

“Really? Can you forgive me, Danny? I’m so sorry for the lies. I just didn’t know how to tell you about what really happened. You loved your father so much. He was your hero. I just wanted to keep that image alive for you.”

“I understand. It must have been hard being on your own and having me around to remind you of him every day.”

“No, Danny. You didn’t………” The tears started again. “I’m sorry. I was going to lie to you again. Yes, you reminded me of him, and what he did. You have his eyes. And you’d look at me with those wide blue eyes and ask me to tell you about your dad. Once I had told you that huge lie how could I tell you the truth? I couldn’t. So, I’d tell you the lie again. And it grew into a monster that I couldn’t kill. Sometimes I’d get so angry I wanted to scream and tell you your father was a scum-sucking, cowardly bastard.” Ann grabbed a tissue and wiped at the tears and blew her nose. A look of guilt and shame appeared on her face. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that.”

Neal laughed softly. “Yes, you should say that. I’ve recently had the displeasure of meeting James Bennet and, believe me, ‘scum-sucking bastard’ is a compliment compared to the words I would use.”

Ann stared at him for a moment, blinking owlishly. “You’ve met him? Tell me about it.”

“No. I don’t want to talk about him right now. I’ll tell you some other time after we’ve had a chance to talk about us. He’s been a shadow over our relationship for too long and he just shouldn’t be that important to us anymore. Besides, your lawman/husband is here and I may have ‘hypothetically and allegedly’ colored outside the lines in my effort to undo something which James did to a friend of mine.” He looked at Jack and shrugged. “Peter always said the words ‘plausible deniability’ were words to live by where I’m concerned.” He smiled and gave Jack his most wide-eyed innocent look. 

“I can see I needn’t have worried about Agent Burke abusing his power. Now I’m wondering if he lets you get away with too much.” Jack’s tone indicated he was amused by the situation but the look of concern in his eyes let Neal know they’d be having a serious discussion when they were alone. 

Neal looked at his mom and noticed she was starting to have trouble staying awake. He used the opportunity to study her more closely. She was quite a bit heavier than when he’d last seen her. He assumed that was due to the fluid retention which Jack had mentioned. There was some gray hair mixed in with the brown, and she was pale. She didn’t look well but he had feared she would look much worse. He may only be here for a short visit but he intended to learn everything he could about her condition. Neal was just starting to think they should leave so she could get some sleep when the doctor came in.

“Mrs. Harper, I have the results of your most recent tests and, based on what I see, I think we will be able to release you tomorrow. Do you have any questions for me?”

Ann slowly shook her head with a puzzled look in her eyes. It was Jack you had questions. “Doctor, can you tell us what brought on this recent episode. We were doing everything we’d been told to do. She’s eating a very low-sodium diet and she only drinks two liters of liquids a day. We keep a journal to keep track of everything she eats and drinks. I just don’t understand what happened.”

“I’m sorry, Mr. Harper, but sometimes we can’t find a specific cause. It’s just the nature of the disease. It sounds like you’re doing everything you can to help her condition, but what she really needs is a transplant. Have you read through the information about our living-donor program?”

“Yes, but I don’t think that’s an option for us.” Jack seemed to want to cut the conversation short. “Thank you, doctor. If we have any other questions will let you know.”

After the doctor left Jack leaned down and gave Ann a light kiss. “You get to come home tomorrow. Isn’t that good news?”

“I’d rather go home today.”

“I wish you could come home today, too. But you need to do what the doctors tell you. We should go and let you get some sleep. Call me if you need anything.”

Neal’s mom sighed with disappointment and reached for her son’s hand. “How long can you stay with us?”

“That depends on Jack, the Marshals, and the FBI. Jack said it would be a ‘week or so’.” He shrugged. 

“What does the FBI have to do with it? Are you an agent? I’m sorry, did you have to take time off from your job to come here?”

Neal looked at Jack in surprise.

“Ann, you just get some rest and we’ll tell you all about Danny’s situation tomorrow. I promise to take good care of him.” Jack kissed his wife on the forehead. “I won’t let him out of my sight and we’ll be back tomorrow.”

Neal kissed his mother’s cheek and followed Jack out into the hallway. “You haven’t told her that her son is a criminal?”

“No, I’ve only known myself since Ellen contacted me less than a year ago. It just never seemed to be the right time to tell her.” Jack stopped walking and turned to face Neal. Neal stopped and stood with his hands in his pockets, looking back at Jack. “Look, Danny…”

“Neal. My name is Neal. I’m not in WITSEC, so can’t you just call me Neal?”

“We’re not going to discuss this here in the hospital hallway. Let’s grab some food and we can discuss this at home.” Jack turned and started walking to the elevator. Neal had no choice but to follow along, for now.

Forty-five minutes later Jack unlocked the front door of a two-story brick house in the borough of Edgewood. Neal carried a pizza box and followed Jack into the kitchen. 

“Nice house.”

“Thanks.”

Neal placed the pizza on the kitchen table and the two men stood staring at each other. The stress of the day was eating away at the rapport they had shared earlier. 

Jack took two plates out of the cupboard and carried them to the table. “What do you want to drink? We’ve got iced tea and Coke.”

“Coke’s fine.” Neal sat down and opened the pizza box. 

They ate in silence and the tension was starting to set Neal’s nerves on edge. “Jack, does Mom know anything about what I’ve been doing since I left home?”

“No. When Ellen contacted me it wasn’t long after your mother’s diagnosis, and it just didn’t seem like a good time to tell her. Then I found out you were working with the FBI and your father trying to take down the Flynns and followed that up with the Pratt fiasco. Neal, your mom is still, technically, in WITSEC, but she’s at very low risk of anyone coming after her. You, on the other hand, are not in Witness Protection and you’ve been involved with some very dangerous people. That’s why I’ve insisted on you using an alias. To protect your mom from people you’ve pissed off.” 

Neal looked away from Jack’s intense gaze. “You’re right. But then why did you decide to bring me here?”

“Your mom wanted to see you. She needed to see you. And I wanted to see you again, too. I feel like I owe you an apology. When you were a kid I didn’t realize how bad things were for you. I did my job and that was it. I made sure you all were safe but I never thought about whether you, a little boy, were being taken care of. When your mom and I got married she told me she had a lot of regrets about how she treated you when you were a kid. When we moved here from St. Louis I found a box of stuff she had in the closet. There were some pictures of you and some drawings you had done. I asked her if she wanted to frame any of the pictures. She said they would just remind her of how bad a mother she had been. I’m sorry no one was there for you when you were a kid.”

“Ellen was there.”

“Was she? She worked full-time, had her own life, and your mother said she didn’t like Ellen coming around telling her how to take care of you.”

“I was fine. I didn’t really need anyone taking care of me after I was nine or so. I washed the laundry, cooked dinner for me and Mom. Stole food when I was hungry and got myself to school.” Neal was starting to get angry. He loved his mom and even if she’d neglected him he’d never admit it. “I know Mom did the best she could and I don’t see any point in dwelling on the past. I’m not ‘little Danny’ anymore.”

“Ok. Look, we’ll work this out. I’m glad you’re here and I hope we can get to know each other better.” Jack got up from the table and took the dishes to the sink. “I’m pretty tired. Let’s just leave these dishes for tomorrow. Come on, I’ll show you to the guest room.” He was leading the way through the house when Neal stopped him.

“Jack, I think you might have forgotten something.”

“What?”

“Clothes? You grabbed me off the street with just the clothes on my back. I can sleep commando tonight but I’ll need some clean clothes for tomorrow. Your clothes won’t fit me.” Jack was a few inches taller than Neal and about twenty-five pounds heavier.

“Crap. I guess we’ll have to go shopping in the morning.”

“I’m not really sleepy yet. Is there any chance you could let me use your computer?”

“Why do you want to use a computer? I thought you understood that you can’t contact anyone.”

“I do understand that. I just want to do some research so I can understand Mom’s condition better.”

“Ok, I need your promise you won’t use the computer to contact anyone.”

“I promise not to use the computer to contact anyone.” The innocent look on Neal’s face would have made Peter suspicious, but Jack didn’t know how much Neal loved loopholes. The burner phone in his sock was not a computer. 

“All right.” Jack picked up his laptop from the desk and handed it to Neal. After writing the password on a sticky note he led the way to the guest room. “There are extra toothbrushes in the bathroom cabinet. Do you need anything else?”

“No, I’m good. Do you mind if I sit up in the living room for a while?”

“Make yourself at home. You have a half-mile radius so, if you go outside, don’t go far. That anklet is monitored here just like it was in New York.”

“That really adds to the homey feeling. Thanks.” Neal took the laptop downstairs and settled onto the couch, wondering if Jack always went to bed at 8:30 in the evening. He heard Jack moving around upstairs for a few minutes and then there was silence. He opened the computer and entered the password. It didn’t take long to find quite a bit of information about liver failure and transplants. He soon found information on what the doctor had referred to as living-donor transplant. Grabbing some paper he began taking notes. He learned that someone can donate a part of their liver and that the liver would regenerate itself. A recipient of a living donor can receive a transplant before their condition becomes critical. Maybe that explained why Jack brought him here; to get Neal to donate a portion of his liver. If that was the case, Jack should have just asked and Neal would have agreed. He would have to speak to Jack and the doctor tomorrow.

After an hour of silence from upstairs, he reached down to retrieve the burner phone he kept in his sock, thankful that his ‘kidnappers’ hadn’t searched him. He sent a quick text to one of Mozzie’s burner phones and went to bed. 

***************************  
Peter was awakened by a noise from the kitchen. With El in DC, he’d fallen asleep on the couch. He quickly and quietly stood up, wishing he hadn’t left his gun upstairs. He grabbed the bat that he kept under the couch; it would have to do. With his back to the wall, he slowly slid his way toward the kitchen. The kitchen door opened and he raised the bat. 

“Whoa! Suit!” Peter turned on the lamp and saw Mozzie’s wide-eyed face. “It’s just me, Suit. I knocked several times and thought you must not be home. I was going to leave you a note.” 

“Did it occur to you to call or just come back in the morning?” Peter put the bat down, afraid he might still be tempted to use it. “Didn’t Diana tell you to call me?”

“No, I haven’t talked to the Lady Suit today. I guess I must have missed her call because I don’t carry all of my phones with me. I came because I received a message to relay to you. When were you going to tell me you lost Neal?”

“That’s why Diana was trying to call you. And I didn’t lose Neal. He’s just……lost. I can’t get any information about his whereabouts. Wait, if you didn’t talk to Diana how did you know Neal was lost?”

“I told you, I received a message. Here.” Mozzie pulled out a phone and showed Peter a text message.

Peter read the text out loud. “‘Message for Suit. Butch, don’t worry, I’m fine. Xoxo, Sundance.’ Why didn’t he text me his location or give me some kind of clue?” 

“I don’t know. Why don’t you tell me what’s going on and maybe I can answer that. But, first, aren’t you going to offer me some wine? Mrs. Suit offers me wine when I come for a visit.” Seeing Peter’s glare he quickly walked over to the couch and sat down. “I’m good without the wine. Tell me what’s going on.”

Peter sat down and sighed. “I talked to Neal earlier today and gave him the news that his commutation had been denied.” He held up his hand to stop Mozzie’s tirade before it got started. “Let’s focus on the immediate problem, Mozzie. I tried calling Neal a few hours later and it went to voicemail. I tried to pull up his tracking data and it was unavailable. Then I called the Marshals Service and after having my call transferred several times I was told that Neal is in their custody and I shouldn’t make any more inquiries. I was told by my boss to let it go. We tried checking security cameras but we can’t find him anywhere. I don’t know what’s going on Moz.”

Mozzie thought for a moment before responding. “What about the text? Is it an SOS?”

“No. I’d say he is telling me he’s okay. If he was in trouble he would have signed it ‘Jimmy Burger’. Can we text him back?”

“Not yet. He didn’t send a communication code.”

“A what?”

“We have contingency plans in place. You don’t need to know details. If it was safe for us to respond to this text he would have sent a code. He didn’t.”

“That’s it? You’re saying we just have to wait? You’re okay with that?”

“He’s Neal. He sent you a ‘safe word’. So, we wait.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimers:   
>  I'm not a medical expert so please don't expect detailed hospital scenes. I have a family member who had a liver transplant 5 years ago (though not from a living donor), so I do have a little experience with the situation.  
>  I've never been to Pittsburgh.
> 
> I also want to thank everyone who has taken the time to comment. I greatly appreciate your encouragement and your generosity in overlooking my punctuation shortcomings.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is just a short chapter but I hope you enjoy it. I appreciate all of the comments and feedback that I've received.

Neal woke up before sunrise and took a shower before putting on the robe that he found in the guest room closet. He gathered up his underwear, socks, and shirt and quietly crept down the stairs hoping he could find a washing machine. He wished he had thought of doing laundry the night before.

When he entered the kitchen he found Jack sitting at the table with a cup of coffee in front of him. Neal waited a moment for Jack to look up but it appeared he was too deep in thought to notice Neal’s presence. 

“Good morning, Jack.” 

“Oh, good morning. Did I wake you up?” There was an unfocused look in Jack’s eyes. 

“No, I usually get up early. Are you okay?”

“Yeah, I guess I just didn’t sleep too well. Do you want some coffee?”

“Sure. I was wondering if I could wash some clothes.” 

“Of course. I’m sorry I didn’t think of that last night. The washer and dryer are in there.” He nodded toward a door to his left as he got up to pour another cup of coffee.

Neal placed his clothes in the washer, started the machine, and then returned to the kitchen. He made sure his robe was securely tied and cautiously took a seat at the table. 

Neal took a sip of coffee before he asked, “What are the plans for today?” 

Jack leaned forward and rested his elbows on the table. “Maybe we should start with a trip to Walmart to get you some clothes.”

“Oooookaaay…..Walllmaart.” Neal was not quite successful at keeping the disdain from his voice.

“You got a problem with Walmart? It’s not like you’re here on a business trip. All you need is some socks, underwear, jeans, and t-shirts, right?”

Neal nodded. He could do this. When he had first met Mozzie he had stated that he was a jeans and t-shirt kind of guy. He could do without his suits for two weeks. 

“Good. We can go shopping as soon as your clothes are dry. I’d like to get to the hospital before eight o’clock so we’re there when the doctor does rounds.” 

“Is that the same doctor I’ll need to talk to about donating part of my liver?”

Jack was clearly surprised by the question. “Where did you get that idea?”

“Internet research. Isn’t that why you brought me here? Mom needs a liver transplant and transplants that are done with a living-donor organ have a higher success rate. If she waits for a traditional transplant she’ll be even sicker than she is now when she has the surgery. And that’s if she doesn’t die first, right? So, who do I need to see to get the process started?”

Jack shook his head. “No. That is not why I brought you here. I brought you here because your mother wanted to see you. Yes, I know, she was a terrible mother but, she does love you. I didn’t bring you here to use you.”

Neal listened to what Jack was saying and was almost convinced that Jack was being honest. But that didn’t change the facts of the situation. His mother needed a transplant and he could do something to help. “Look, Jack, it doesn’t really matter why you brought me here. I’m glad you did it. And now that I’m here I intend to look into the possibility of being a donor whether you want to help me or not. From what I read on the UPMC website, being a living donor involves a lot of tests and evaluations. You said I would only be here for ‘a week or so’, so I think we need to get started as soon as possible.”

“Danny..”

“Neal.”

“Kid, you’re not listening to me. We don’t expect you to do this. Your mother didn’t even know I was bringing you here.”

“You think I’ll just sit by and do nothing while she gets sicker? Maybe I’m not even a good candidate for this. It won’t hurt to check into it. Are you going to help me or do I have to do it on my own? Or are you going to play the ‘convicted felon on a tracker’ card?” Jack could stop him by using the marshal’s resources to keep him on house arrest.

“This is not why I brought you here.” Jack seemed almost desperate to have Neal believe him.

“I understand that. I believe you. But I want to at least see if it would be an option.” Neal could be stubborn when he wanted to be.

“Fine.” Jack spoke with a quiet, defeated tone in his voice. “Fine, we’ll look into it. But the marshals' service only agreed to let me take you for two weeks. If this works out, like you seem to want, then your FBI handler will have to be informed. Maybe I should just call him anyway. Maybe he can talk you out of this.”

Neal laughed at that. “I’m afraid you’re barking up the wrong tree there. I like Peter. I respect him. There have been times when he’s almost been like a father to me. But he’d be the first to tell you that when I get a brilliant idea no one can talk me out of it.”

“Do you get a lot of brilliant ideas?” Jack smiled at him.

“Of course. Although Peter refers to them as ‘stupid’. He says ‘don’t do anything stupid, Neal’”.

“Do you listen to him when he tells you not to do anything stupid?”

“Sometimes……..almost never.”

Jack nodded as he looked at Neal with an affectionate, almost fatherly, expression. “Go put your clothes in the dryer, son. I’ll fix us some breakfast.”

Neal went to the utility room thinking about what Jack had just called him. Son. Was that just like when he had called him ‘kid’ to avoid the Danny/Neal argument? Neal knew he shouldn’t let himself think it was more than that. 

********************************

Peter poured himself a cup of coffee and took it into the living room. He planned on relaxing with his crossword puzzle and coffee in his favorite chair. He just wasn’t sure if he would be able to relax while he missed his wife and worried about his friend. The text from Neal had helped a little and he’d call El in an hour or so. No point in waking her up at 6:30 on a Sunday morning just because he couldn’t sleep. 

He was in the kitchen getting his second cup of coffee when he heard the front door open.

“Hi, Hon, I’m home.” Peter hurried into the living room to see Elizabeth flop down tiredly onto the couch. He sat down next to her and gave her a kiss and a hug.

“You can’t imagine how happy I am to see you, El. But I thought you were going to stay in DC for the weekend. You have to be back to work at the Gallery tomorrow morning don’t you?”

“I thought we should talk about this business of us living in different cities. I just don’t think it’s going to work for me.”

“El, I thought you understood about why I needed to stay in New York. It’s not just about Neal. I’m just not cut out for the politics of the job in DC. I know I said I’d come to DC this weekend, but with Neal’s disappearance I needed to stay here.”

“Hon, I do understand. And I was so thrilled to get the job at the National Gallery that I thought I could do this. But I was already having doubts about how important the job was to me when I got some news that changed everything.”

“What news?”

“I’m pregnant.” She waited for some kind of response but Peter just sat there, stunned. 

“But, I thought we couldn’t…….how……”

“Apparently we can. And I think you know how.” 

“Are you okay? Are you happy about it?”

“I’m fine, and I’m very happy. And hungry. How about I fix us some breakfast.”

“Nope. You sit while I cook breakfast. You can keep me company in the kitchen, though.” He gave her another kiss and they headed into the kitchen.

*************************

The trip to Walmart was not as bad as Neal had expected it would be. Jack bought him three pair of jeans and a half dozen t-shirts along with socks and underwear. It would do for a week or so. 

Neal stood in the hallway outside his mother’s hospital room and waited to speak to the doctor. Her most recent test results showed enough improvement to allow her to go home. 

“Doctor, I’m Mrs. Harper’s son. I’d like to discuss the possibility of being a living donor.”

“That’s excellent news. Would you be able to come back Monday morning to speak to our coordinator? I’m sure you are aware there is quite a bit of testing involved.”

“Yes, I’ve done some research online. Based on what I’ve read so far I believe I might be a good candidate.” 

The doctor wrote down the information Neal needed to contact the transplant coordinator. “This should get you started. Good luck.” 

“Thank you, doctor.” Neal took a deep breath and let it out slowly. He dismissed the imagined voice in his head that was saying ‘don’t do anything stupid, Neal’.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Neal tells his mom about his life of crime. It doesn't go well. He calls and talks to Peter. There's a bit of hurt/comfort in this chapter.

The discharge process took a few hours and it was afternoon when they finally arrived home. Once they were settled in the living room Ann wasn’t waiting any longer to have a good talk with her son and find out what he’d been doing all these years. 

“Danny, I want to hear all about what you’ve been doing since you left home. Did you go to college? Do you have a girlfriend? I want to hear everything.”

“Well…..to start with, I’ve been using the name Neal Caffrey. Is there any chance you could call me ‘Neal’?”

Ann looked at her husband in confusion. “Why have you been calling him ‘Danny’?”

Jack sighed. “I may be overly cautious but, I’m trying to protect you, Anwen.”

“Protect me from what? James’ enemies? All that was so long ago. You said it was unlikely they would ever come after me. You told me all of that mess was cleared up. They’re all dead, right?”

“Everyone except James is dead, yes.” Jack was beginning to think maybe he had overreacted. After all, as Ann pointed out, the Flynns were dead. Pratt was dead. And after James had recorded that confession he would be a fugitive for the rest of his life. That was something that Jack just couldn’t understand. Why had James confessed and then gone on the run? “Fine, I give up, we can stop calling him Danny. Now, Neal, tell your mother what you’ve been up to since you left home.”

“Ok….Mom, I’m working for the FBI as a consultant.” Neal thought to himself that maybe this wouldn’t be too bad. 

“What do you consult on?” 

“My areas of expertise are bond forgery, art forgery, theft, and general white collar crimes.” So far, so good. 

“That’s very interesting, dear. How did you become an expert in all of those crimes?” She looked impressed at his accomplishments. He was very much afraid that was about to come to an end.

“I became an expert by being a bond forger, art forger, thief, and conman. I was arrested for bond forgery and was sentenced to four years in prison. I escaped when my girlfriend broke up with me and then I was arrested again. That’s when I made a deal to work with the FBI helping them to solve white collar crimes until the end of my prison sentence.” The look of pride faded from his mother’s face and was replaced with sadness and disappointment. 

“You’re a criminal.”

“Was. I was a criminal. Now I work for the FBI.” 

“That’s…..good. I’m happy for you.” Clearly, she wasn’t happy.

She seemed to have transformed back into the woman Neal remembered from his childhood. The dull and vacant expression brought back memories of a young Neal desperate for his mother’s love and attention. He had studied to get perfect grades. He had hustled pool to bring home extra money to pay bills. He had cooked and cleaned and done whatever was needed to make her life easier, all the while craving some kind of indication that she cared about him. His reward had been the same blank, vacant stare he was receiving now. 

Ann looked in her husband’s direction, though not directly at him. It appeared she was not happy with Jack either. “I’m tired. I’d like to go take a nap.” She stood up and saw that Jack was going to walk with her. “I can do it myself. I’m not an invalid.” 

Jack sat down again and waited until he heard the bedroom door close before he spoke. “I’m sorry, son. You’ll have to give her time.”

Neal shook his head slowly. “No. No, I don’t think so. I think the best thing would be for me to go talk to the doctor tomorrow and see if he can refer me to a doctor in New York who can do the tests to see if I’m a good donor candidate. If I’m able to donate then I can come back here for the surgery. After that, she won’t need to see me again. I think that would be for the best.”

“You’d still be willing to donate?” 

“Of course. Why wouldn’t I?” He would never just walk away from someone who needed him. Being a criminal didn’t mean he was a cold-hearted jerk. 

The more time Jack spent with Neal the more he respected and liked his step-son. He felt a twinge of guilt thinking about Neal’s childhood. How differently things may have turned out if Jack had taken the time to get to know Neal years ago. 

“Come on, Son. Let’s go cook something for dinner.” As they walked to the kitchen he threw his arm around Neal’s shoulders and gave him a quick hug. “It will be okay. Just give her time.”

Neal recognized a lie when he heard one, but he let it slide.

Ann came down for dinner and they ate in an atmosphere of tense silence peppered with occasional awkward bits of meaningless conversation.

Neal excused himself early and went to his room. He sat on the bed and stared at the burner phone in his hand. After a few minutes of indecision, he sent a text.

******************************

Peter and El were enjoying an afternoon in the park together. He’d brought her up to date with the little information he had. Neal was in the custody of the Marshals and had sent a message saying he was ok. That was all he knew.

“Well, Hon, maybe the marshals need his help to catch a fugitive or something.” She rubbed her hand comfortingly on his arm. 

Peter sighed in frustration. “Maybe. But is that fair? He’s not a tool to be passed around from one agency to another. I hate to say it but, Neal has been treated unfairly too many times.”

“Well, Hon, he is a criminal. If he was in prison, which he would be without you, he’d have to do what he was told without question.”

“El, in prison the rules are there to protect the prisoners as well as the guards. There are rules to protect the prisoners from being abused by the people who have power over them. But look at what has happened to Neal since he started working with me. Agent Fowler manipulated him using Kate. That was why he escaped in the first place. Then, Agent Rice used him and intentionally put him in danger. Wilkes could have killed him. Kramer tried to use every underhanded trick he could to get custody of Neal and then sent a bounty hunter after him. Collins shot him while he was standing still with his hands up. None of that was fair or right. If he’s being used by the Marshals now that just proves why he needs his freedom.”

El felt ashamed of herself for having thought that Peter was worrying about Neal for little reason. “You’re right. What are you going to do.”

“Right now there isn’t much I can do. But when I get him back I’m going to keep him chained to a desk for the next six months to keep him out of trouble until his release. He’ll hate it, but I don’t want him risking his life on undercover ops anymore.”

“That sounds like a good plan. I wish you luck with it.” 

Peter smiled at her and chuckled. “It won’t be easy. Nothing with Neal is easy. He’s so……..I don’t know the word for it. How does a guy like him go through everything he has and still come out a caring, loving, gentle person?” He shook his head. “I treated him badly, and yet he just forgave me. It’s like it never happened.”

“No, Peter. I think you’re wrong about that. Yes, he forgave you, and you forgave him. But, he’s not the same now. He seems... I don’t know…..more reserved, quiet around us. There’s a sadness in his eyes that wasn’t there before.”

“Yeah, I know. When he comes back we’ll have him over for dinner. Talk to him. We need to find out what his plans for the future are and see if we can help him.”

“I love you, Peter Burke. That sounds like a good idea.” El leaned over to give him a kiss but they were interrupted by a phone call. 

Peter rolled his eyes and moved away from El to get his phone out of his pocket. “This is Burke.”

“Hey, Boss. Am I interrupting anything important?”

“Yes. But I can get back to it later. What’s up, Diana?”

“I talked to Mozzie. He told me about the text Neal sent last night and said he just got another text. This one said you should buy a burner phone and call Neal tonight at ten o’clock. Mozzie says don’t bother to buy a phone, he’ll bring you one.”

“Thanks, Diana.” He didn’t know whether to be happy or worried that Neal would call.

“Boss, can I come over when you call him? I’m worried about him too.” There was mumbling in the background. “Jones wants to come too.”

“Sure. We’ll see you then. Thanks, Diana.” He hit the disconnect button and turned to El. “I’ll be able to talk to Neal tonight. We’ll be having company. When are we going to tell everyone our news about the baby?”

“I’d like to wait a bit if you don’t mind. We can just keep it our secret until I’m further along.”

“Right. We’ve got a few hours until company arrives. Is there anything you want to do?” He wiggled his eyebrows at her and smiled. “You look thirsty.”

El laughed and slapped his arm. “Peter. The house is a wreck and we have a lot of unpacking to do. I promise I’ll be thirsty later. First, we have work to do.”

Peter stood up from the bench and held out his hand to help her. “You’re a slave-driver, Mrs. Burke.”

“I guess that makes you my slave?”

“Always, ma’am.” They walk home slowly; enjoying the warm sunny day.

*************************

Ten minutes before Peter was supposed to call Neal walked out of the house and settled into a chair in the back yard. It was a cool, pleasant evening and Neal was glad he had bought a hoodie at Walmart. He was also glad there was no one here to see him wear it.

In New York, Neal’s friends were gathered around the kitchen table waiting for the appointed time to call. Mozzie was not thrilled to have a room full of feds waiting to hear from Neal. It brought back memories of a phone call Neal had made from Cape Verde. A call which had been recorded. A call Mozzie had been unaware of until the damage was done. This time Mozzie had surreptitiously inspected the premises for recording equipment. The house appeared to be clear of any kind of call tracing equipment. 

The feds ignored Mozzie as he slowly moved around the house looking for bugs. They understood it was the paranoid little man’s way of protecting his friend. 

At promptly ten o’clock Peter dialed the phone and hit the speaker button.

“Hello.”

“Neal, there’s a roomful of feds listening to this call on speaker phone.” Mozzie quickly warned Neal of what he viewed as a danger.

“Fed friends, or foes, Moz.”

“Is there a difference? Seriously, Neal, what have I always told you?”

“Umm, always make sure I have at least three escape plans in place?” It had been a horrible day and Neal felt a release of tension as he played with Mozzie.

“NO! The other thing.”

“Umm, always wear clean underwear. No problem there, Moz. I went shopping at Walmart this morning. I bought new socks and underwear. Also jeans and t-shirts.”

“Neal, they’re feds. Not nanny-goats in a petting zoo. Never let your guard down. Wait, Walmart?”

Peter stood with his hands on his hips trying to resist the urge to pace. “Mozzie, that’s enough. Neal, it’s just us. Me, Diana, Jones, and El. Where are you?”

Neal felt the tension rise again. “I can’t tell you that, Peter. I’m using a loophole to contact you but I don’t want to stretch the loophole that far.”

“What loophole?”

“I asked to borrow a computer yesterday and had to promise not to use it to contact anyone. So I used a phone.”

“Ah, a loophole. Of course. So why did you want me to call you?”

There was a moment of silence before Neal quietly answered. “To talk.”

El’s eyes widened at the sad tone of voice that came across the phone. Maybe it was her motherly instincts kicking in. “Neal, Sweetie, what do you want to talk about?”

Another stretch of silence was followed by another quiet response. “I don’t know. I think this was a bad idea. I’m sorry I bothered you all.”

“Neal, wait.” Peter feared his friend was about to hang up. “If you can’t tell us where you are can you tell us why you’re there? Or, I don’t know, tell us about your trip to Walmart.” Anything to keep him from hanging up when he clearly needed to talk to someone.

“Walmart, Peter? It’s a people watcher's paradise. People go there in their pajamas, Peter. There was an incredible mix of people. I saw a very well dressed businessman standing in the check-out line behind a lady in pajamas who was buying diapers for her crying baby. There was snot running down the kid’s nose and Suit-guy gave her an expensive looking handkerchief to mop it up. While I was in the checkout line I flirted with a leather-wearing, tattooed biker chick. She gave me her number. I actually had a good time at Walmart.”

“That’s good Neal. So, you bought jeans and t-shirts? Are you going undercover?”

“No, Peter, I just needed clothes. All I had were the clothes I was wearing when they kidnapped me.”

“They kidnapped you?” Mozzie was more agitated than Peter had ever seen him.

“Relax, Moz. It wasn’t much of a kidnapping. No taser or anything. It’s a long story but I’m okay, Moz.” Neal heard a faint rustling in the grass and thought it must be squirrels. 

“Why did they take you, Neal?” Diana was still worried. He may say he was okay, but there was something wrong with him.

Neal wouldn’t feel right telling them where he was but, surely it would be okay to tell them why he was here. “They brought me here to see my mom.” 

There was a surprised silence from everyone around the table in Brooklyn. El was the first to speak.

“How’s the visit with your mom going, Sweetie?”

“Well, imagine you had a son that you hadn’t seen in fifteen years, and when you see him you find out he’s……me. A convicted felon, forger, conman, thief, etcetera, etcetera. How do you think it’s going?”

Peter rubbed the back of his neck while he tried to find the right words to comfort his friend. “Neal, you may just have to give her a little time to get to know you again. You’re so much more than all those things.”

“Really, Peter? Because it wasn’t that long ago that you reminded me I was a criminal and said that’s all I’d ever be.” Anyone else would have made the statement in an accusing tone, but not Neal. His tone was matter-of-fact, as though he accepted the truth of the statement.

Peter looked at the people around him and saw looks ranging from hatred to confusion and disappointment. Peter felt like dirt. 

“Neal, when I said that I was angry and scared. You know what the situation was.”

“What I know is a lot of truth comes out in anger. I don’t blame you, Peter.” Neal leaned back in his chair and took a deep, relaxing breath. It was a beautiful evening. Suddenly he felt a hand on his shoulder and he jumped. “Crap, are you trying to give me a heart attack?”

“Neal, are you okay?” Peter hated not knowing what was going on.

“I’m okay, Peter. I’m just busted. Sorry, I’ve got to go.” Neal pulled the phone away from his ear and was about to hit the disconnect when Jack stopped him.

“No, don’t hang up. I’m sorry. I was worried about you and came to check up on you. I heard you talking and I eavesdropped. I’m glad you have someone to talk to. I’ll just go back in. Good night, Son.”

“Good night, Jack. Thanks.”

He put the phone back to his ear. “Sorry, I’m back.”

“Who’s Jack?” Peter was concerned by the trusting tone of the conversation that he’d overheard. He wasn’t jealous. No, he was just worried. 

“Jack is the marshal who kidnapped me. He’s also my step-father, which came as quite a surprise to me.”

“Neal, I highly disapprove of the company you keep.” Moz never could understand Neal’s fondness for authority figures. It was downright illogical for a conman.

“I’m aware, Moz. But what can I do? Everybody owns a piece of me until I get my freedom.”

“So, Caffrey, how long are you going to be there?” Jones liked Neal and he hoped that the Bureau would offer Neal a job when his sentence was up. Now that Jones had been promoted to Peter’s old job he intended to do what he could to make sure Neal continued to work with the good guys. 

“I don’t know, Jones. It’s kind of complicated. I have an appointment tomorrow and, if things don’t improve with my mom, I might be back Tuesday. I guess Jack doesn’t mind me talking to you all so I’ll keep in touch. I should get to bed now. I don’t want to be late for my appointment in the morning.”

Peter wanted to ask more questions but realized that Neal sounded worn out. “Ok, Neal. We’re here if you need us.”

“Thanks, guys.” Neal disconnected the call and walked into the house. He locked the back door and pressed the button to set the alarm. He was tired but knew he probably wouldn’t be able to sleep because of all the stuff going on in his head. He went into the living room to look through the books on the shelf. Most of the books must belong to Jack. Spy novels and Zane Gray were not really Neal’s thing. Another shelf was filled with true crime. That was not of much interest to Neal either, since most of the criminals were violent and had no style. Neal sat down on the floor to look through the books on the bottom shelf. 

He couldn’t believe what he found on the bottom shelf of the bookcase. All of the books there had belonged to Danny. They were all of his favorites from when he was little. He ran his hand over the spines. He pulled one off the shelf and held it up to smelled it. Slowly he opened it and started reading.

>   
>  “IN THE beginning, Bartholomew Cubbins didn’t have five hundred hats.  
>  He had only one hat. It was an old one that had belonged to his father and  
>  his father’s father before him.”  
> 

Neal smiled and a tear slid down his cheek. His mother had kept his favorite books. Maybe it didn’t mean anything, but it gave him hope.

>   
>  “It was probably the oldest and the plainest hat in the whole Kingdom of Didd, where Bartholomew Cubbins lived. But  
>  Bartholomew liked it — especially because of the feather that always pointed  
>  straight up in the air.”  
> 

He chose a couple more books to take with him and went to bed. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The book Neal reads from is The 500 Hats of Bartholomew Cubbins by Dr. Suess.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Neal goes to the doctor and tells Peter what's going on. The relationship with his mother is still awkward.

Neal had set his watch alarm for five o’clock in the morning. He wanted to get to the doctor’s office as soon as they opened. He rolled out of bed and quietly headed for the shower, thinking about what the day might hold for him. He knew it was unlikely that the doctor would have an opening at this short notice but he had nothing else going on. Things were likely to be awkward around his mother today. He’d rather spend the day being poked and prodded if he could.

He was surprised to see Jack was already in the kitchen making coffee. “Good Morning, Jack. Did I wake you up?”

“No, I didn’t sleep well. Are you always such an early riser?”

“Yeah, I usually like to have time for coffee and breakfast before Peter picks me up for work. Today I was thinking I’d get to the hospital and check in at the doctor’s office early to see if they have an opening some time today. So, is mom still sleeping?”

“She had a bad night. She’ll probably sleep a few more hours. I won’t be able to take you to the doctor but I can get Northcutt to take you.”

“Northcutt?”

“Cuffer.” Jack smiled as he reminded Neal of the ‘kidnapping’. “Unless you prefer Boots to take you.”

“No, no, Cuffer is fine. Boots just seemed to enjoy the kidnapping way too much.” 

Jack laughed. “Nothing like a good kidnapping to break up the boring routine. Do you want some breakfast?”

“No, I think I’ll wait. From what I read on the internet there will be a lot of blood tests and I might need to be fasting. I’ll get something to eat when I find out some details. So, as long as I’m with Northcutt I don’t have to worry about my radius?”

“Right. He has my number if you need to talk to me about anything. Leave me your number.”

“You’ve still got my phone.”

“Leave me the number of your burner phone.” 

“Ah, the burner phone. That must have slipped my mind.” Neal flashed a smile at Jack.

Jack nodded knowingly. “I’m sure it did. Speaking of your burner phone…….can I ask you a question?”

“It never hurts to ask. I should warn you, though, I’m well known for deflecting and telling half-truths.”

Jack frowned slightly. “Neal, I prefer the truth or no answer at all. If you don’t want to answer then just say so.”

Jack was obviously serious so Neal nodded in agreement. “Ok, I can do that. What do you want to ask?”

“Well, you know I told you I listened to you talking to your friends last night.” Neal nodded. “I’m sorry about that. I guess I tend to be overprotective”

“I know you’re just trying to protect Mom. I understand.”

“I’m trying to protect you too, Son. That’s why I’m about to butt into your business.”

“Ooookaaay…..” Neal really wondered where this was going.

“I heard what you said to Peter. You said he’d told you that all you’d ever be was a criminal. You told me you and he were friends but, that doesn’t sound like something one friend would say to another.”

“I’m not sure I understand what you’re asking.”

“I guess I just want to know more about the situation. I’d like to know about your relationship and if you really trust him.”

“Well, as I said, our relationship is complicated. I do trust him, but……..I don’t know what to say, Jack. You’re a marshal. There are things I just can’t tell you.” Neal couldn’t explain, not just for his own sake, but for Peter’s as well. 

“I see. You’re saying you don’t trust me.”

“No, that’s not what I’m saying at all. I don’t know you very well, but I do trust you, the same way I trust Peter. I trust that you are both honest men who try to do the right thing. There are times when the right thing for you and Peter would be to arrest me. I can’t give you details about the situation you’re asking about. I will tell you it started with James killing Senator Pratt and leaving Peter to take the fall. All kinds of nasty stuff hit the fan after that and it almost destroyed my relationship with Peter.”

Jack was quiet while he processed what Neal had just told him. “If you decide at some point that you want to talk about it I’ll be here to listen. Not as a marshal; but, as your friend. Or as your step-dad, if you can accept that.”

“That sounds like you’re willing to give me immunity.”

“For the situation we’ve been referring to, yes. For robbing banks or museums, no.”

“The only bank I’ve ever robbed was when I was testing a bank’s security for the FBI. And I never robbed a museum.” Neal smiled and thought it wasn’t really robbing a museum if you left a substitute item. It was a fair exchange. 

“Uh huh.” Jack was fond of Neal but he was beginning to see why the Burke-Caffrey relationship was complicated. “Okay. So, what time did you want to be at the doctor’s office?”

“The office is in the hospital complex and it opens at seven. I’d like to be there then if you can get me a ride. I do have a question though. Who am I here? Do I use my Caffrey ID or do you have ‘Danny’ documents for me to use?”

Jack sighed in defeat. “Use your Caffrey ID. We’ll have to see about making that legal, by the way. I don’t know how you’ve gotten away with using a fake ID while working for the FBI all this time.” 

“I’m good at what I do. It took them a long time to figure out the ‘Caffrey’ was an alias. In fact, I told Peter before he figured it out.” 

Jack nodded and picked up his phone to call Northcutt.

******************

When Neal arrived at the doctor’s office he was given a stack of papers to fill out while the receptionist worked on squeezing him into the schedule. Marshal Northcutt gave him some privacy by watching him from across the room, in a chair near the door so Neal couldn’t run. After nearly a half hour, Neal returned the completed paperwork to the receptionist. 

“Thank you, Mr. Caffrey. The doctor won’t be able to see you until this afternoon but his assistant will be able to see you now. He can order the lab work and, after you get through with the lab, you’ll be able to talk to the social worker. I think we’ll be keeping you busy until your appointment with the doctor.”

“Why do I need to see a social worker?” 

“He’ll discuss things like insurance and how your recovery time might impact your employment. They can answer a lot of questions for you before you see the doctor. I’ll give your paperwork to the Physician Assistant and the nurse will come to get you in a few minutes.”

“Thank you.” Neal returned to his seat in the waiting room as he began to realize that this may not be an easy process. He hadn’t considered how this might affect his job and work release agreement. Would Jack have any influence on how the marshals would react to this?

A nurse appeared in the waiting room and called his name. “Mr. Caffrey? Hi, I’m Carol. Come this way, please.” He started to follow her but stopped to look questioningly at Marshal Northcutt, who waved dismissively at him. 

The nurse checked his height and weight then led him into an exam room where he was instructed to sit on the examination table. She checked his blood pressure and pulse then left the room after asking him to wait. He looked around at the posters on the walls. He didn’t have a smartphone to play with or even a magazine to read. He hoped he wouldn’t have to wait too long. 

******************  
Jack heard his wife coming down the stairs and tried to mentally prepare himself for the encounter. She was a kind and loving woman most of the time but when life became overwhelming for her she tended to shut down her emotions. The anti-depressants had helped until her current illness had become serious. 

“Good Morning, Ann. How are you feeling this morning?”

Ann shuffled her way to the table and sat down. It was warm in the house but she had dressed in a sweatshirt and sweatpants. She had wrapped a warm robe over the sweats and she was still cold. “I’m okay.” She looked at her husband warily. “Where is he?”

“He’s at the hospital talking to the doctor about being a donor for you.”

“Is that why you brought him here?” She looked at Jack in confusion.

“No, of course not. But your son is a smart man. He borrowed my computer, did some research and came to me with the suggestion. Anwen, you need to talk to him. He loves you. He’s made mistakes in life, sure, but haven’t we all? Haven’t you?”

Tears began sliding down her cheeks and she wiped them away with the back of her hand. “I know. I’m ashamed at how I reacted yesterday. But it was such a shock. When he was a little boy he was so smart and talented. He could have done anything with his life. He could have become a doctor or a lawyer. But all he wanted when he was a kid was to grow up and become a cop. When Ellen told him about his father and he ran away…..I thought he would choose a new career goal. I imagined him doing so many great things.”

“Imagination can be a wonderful thing. But you turned your son into a fictional character who always lived up to your hopes for him. You need to get to know the man he really is. He’s been a criminal, but I believe he’s trying to find a new direction for himself. The more time I spend with him the more I like him. He’s a kind and loving man. He has a sense of humor and he’s forgiving. Please try to get to know him. I think you two need each other. He only has about six months left on his sentence and he’s going to need support from his friends and family to help him make a new start.”

Ann nodded. She pulled a tissue out of the pocket of her robe and blew her nose. “Ok. You’re right. I’ll try. Maybe we can have a special dinner tonight? When he was a teenager he used to cook a big dinner for us on Sundays. He liked roast chicken and mashed potatoes. Can we do that?”

Jack smiled at her and leaned forward and caressed her cheek. “I’ll go shopping right after you eat breakfast. Can you make me a grocery list while I cook your eggs?” He stood up brought her some paper and a pencil. As he prepared the eggs he glanced at her and saw her busily writing out the list. He would do whatever he could to help mend the relationship between his wife and her son. 

 

******************

Neal sighed. Normally he was good at dealing with boredom but there was nothing in this room with which to entertain himself. There was no paper to fold or draw on; nothing to read. He pulled out his burner phone and started to text.

_‘hey, Peter, what’cha doin'?”_

_‘Enjoying a day off with my wife. What are you doing?’_

_‘Can’t tell you. I thought El was in DC.’_

_‘There have been developments. We decided not to move to DC.’_

_‘???????’_

_‘Your fault. You need me to keep you out of trouble.’_

_‘Not my fault. You were in NY and I still got kidnapped. You need a better story.’_

_‘Have a great story. Can’t tell you in a text. When are they bringing you home?’_

_‘Don’t know yet. Developments. Can’t tell you in a text.’_

_‘Why did you text me?’_

There was a brief knock on the door before it opened and the P.A. walked in. Peter would have to wait. 

“Hello, Mr. Caffrey. I’m Dr. Ward’s assistant, Michael. I hear you want to be a liver donor for your mother. As you may know, there are some tests we need to run to determine if you are a good donor candidate. I briefly looked through the questionnaire you filled out. It seems you live a healthy lifestyle. The doctor may have some concerns about your alcohol consumption. We normally like donor candidates to abstain from alcohol for six months, but you drink wine every day. Is that correct?”

“Usually just one glass. I never drink enough to get drunk.” 

“I see. If the preliminary lab work indicates that you are a good match the doctor may want to perform a liver biopsy on you. It’s not uncommon. Would you be willing to do that?”

Neal shrugged. “Sure. Whatever it takes.” 

“Good. I’ve ordered the lab work and EKG for you. The nurse will show you out and tell you how to get to the lab. Good luck.” Michael stood up from his chair, shook Neal’s hand, and left.

The next hour was filled with blood tests, a urine test, and an EKG. Neal was tired and hungry when he met Marshal Northcutt in the lab waiting room. The marshal had been surprisingly patient and nice to him throughout the morning. 

“What’s next, Neal?”

“Social worker. I hope it doesn’t take too long. I’m hungry.”

The marshal pulled a protein bar out of his pocket and handed it to Neal as they walked to the social worker’s office. 

“Thanks.” Neal peeled off the wrapper and ate the snack while they walked.

The social worker, Walter, gave Neal a lot of information about what to expect if he became a donor. He asked Neal questions about his job and work environment. Neal was impressed when the man showed no reaction to Neal’s past and his current situation with the FBI. One thing that did concern Neal was the social worker’s insistence that he would need someone to be with him through the process. Walter pointed out that Jack would be focused on his wife and it wouldn’t be fair to expect him to try to care for Neal as well. Neal assured Walter that he would have someone to be there with him. What he didn’t say was that he wasn’t sure who it would be. Peter was a busy man. Maybe June could be with him if Peter couldn't be.

Neal left the social worker’s office feeling a little more confident about his decision to be a donor. And, again, Marshal Northcutt was waiting for him in the waiting room.

“Neal, Jack texted me and said I should make sure you eat something. What time is your next appointment?”

Neal looked at his watch. “I’ve got three hours to kill before I have to see the doctor. Is there a hospital cafeteria we could eat at?”

“We’ve got enough time to leave at go get some real food if you want. What are you hungry for?”

“You choose. I appreciate your patience, Marshal Northcutt.”

“Call me Dave. And I’m just doing my job.” 

They continued to talk as they walked to the parking garage. 

“Nice job with the kidnapping, by the way. I especially appreciated the lack of a taser.”

Dave smiled at Neal as he opened his car door. “Maybe next time, Kid.”

Neal found the conversation over lunch interesting. Dave was well read and informed on a wide variety of topics. Of special interest to Neal was the topic of art. Dave had traveled quite a bit and had visited many of the same museums Neal had been to. He told Neal about the museums in Pittsburgh and offered to take Neal to the Andy Warhol Museum. 

“Seriously? Why would you do that?”

“Because I think you’d like it. What other reason would there be?”

“I don’t know. You’re a marshal; I’m a criminal. It’s weird.” Neal shrugged. 

“Maybe I want to pump you for information about how you managed to avoid being captured by the marshals for so many years.” Dave sat back in his chair and laid his napkin on the table while he studied Neal’s reaction.

“It was easy.” He laughed. “I was raised in WITSEC. The marshals would come around every now and then to check on us and I’d talk to them. The best way to get people to open up is to ask questions and listen. I’d ask questions about what it was like to chase criminals. How did they track them and trap them? At the time I was interested because I wanted to be a cop. But, when I allegedly turned to crime it was still useful information. In other words, I studied the other team’s playbook. Just like you’re trying to do with me.”

Dave nodded. “Does that mean that you aren’t interested in going to the Warhol museum?”

“It means I understand where you’re coming from. As long as we understand each other I don’t see any reason not to go with you. Although, to be honest, I prefer the French Impressionists over Warhol.”

“Okay, we’ll go to the Frick, too. Now we’d better get you back to the hospital.” 

*********************************

When Neal walked into his mom’s house it was late in the afternoon. The appointment with the doctor had gone well and he’d already gotten some of the results of his tests. So far everything was looking good and the next step was the liver biopsy which was scheduled for Thursday. 

He found his mom and Jack in the kitchen. “Hi, something smells good.” There were few people he couldn’t con and he was sure his cloak of confidence was firmly in place.

“Your mother suggested we make a special dinner for you. We have a roasted chicken, mashed potatoes, and green beans. There is also a Dutch apple pie for dessert. So, how did things go with the doctor.”

“It went well.” He took a few more steps into the kitchen. “Hi, Mom, how are you feeling today?”

Ann stood up and awkwardly walked over to her son and hugged him. Jack, observing from across the room, thought it looked like two strangers hugging, but it was a start. 

“You don’t have to do this thing.” She was unable to look him in the eye. Her gaze focused somewhere in the middle of Neal’s chest. 

“I want to do this, Mom. Please let me.”

Ann nodded slightly and turned to get the dishes to set the table. “Dinner’s almost ready.”

Neal took the dishes from her and began setting the table. “I’ll tell you all about my day over dinner. Okay?”

“We’d like to hear about it, Son. Right, Ann?”

“Yes, of course, we’d love to hear it, Neal.” She almost looked him in the eye this time. Maybe things would work out.

The conversation over dinner was still a bit awkward but it was improving. Neal told them about the test results he’d gotten and about the biopsy scheduled for Thursday. 

“I was thinking I’d call Peter and tell him about everything. The social worker insists that I have someone with me through this and since you’ll be busy taking care of Mom I thought Peter might help out. If you don’t mind me telling him.”

“I think that would be a good idea, Son. Go call him and we’ll take care of the dishes.” 

“Thanks, Jack.” Neal got up from the table and went out to the backyard to make his call.

“Neal?”

“Yeah, it’s me, Peter.”

“What’s going on? You never replied to my last text today. Wait a minute, El wants me to put it on speaker……Ok, what’s going on?” They had just finished dinner and were sitting together on the couch.

“Well, I can tell you the whole story now. To start with, I’m in Pittsburgh. My mom needs a liver transplant and I spent today getting tested to see if I can be a donor.”

“How can you donate your liver? You only have one and you kind of need that to live.”

“Well, Peter, they can use just a part of my liver and it will grow back. And the part they give Mom will grow to nearly full size too.”

“That’s why they kidnapped you? To use you for spare parts? Neal, you don’t have to do this. It’s illegal to coerce someone into donating organs. Tell me where you are and I’ll come to get you.”

“Peter, it’s fine. It was my idea. I found out about the living-donor option on the internet. I went to the doctor today to get tests to see if I’m a good candidate. But there may be some things for you to consider if I get this done. For one thing, I’ll need someone willing to take care of me for a week or two after the surgery.”

“Oh, Sweetie, of course, we’ll take care of you.”

“Thanks, El. Another thing to consider is that it’s got about a two month recovery time. Now, I could probably work on mortgage fraud cases at my desk. Boring stuff like that. But I don’t know how useful I’ll be. Jack might be able to take care of the marshals, but will the FBI be willing to let me have time off without throwing me back in prison?” The thought had occurred to Neal that he might end up back in prison if he couldn’t work. He really didn’t want to go back to prison.

“I’ll look into it but I don’t think it will be a problem. If it comes down to it we’ll cover for you at work. You come in and do what you can and if you get tired you can nap in my office.”

“Thanks, Peter.”

“Anything else? Are you sure about this, Neal?”

“Well, I’m having a liver biopsy done Thursday. I won’t know if I can donate until I get the results from that.”

El gasped in excitement. “Oh, can we come and be there with you for that?” 

“Well, if you can get away, that would be great.” Neal was a little puzzled at the excited tone in El’s voice.

“Great. We can meet your mom.” 

Neal laughed. Now he understood why she was excited about coming to see him. “I’ll text you the address. Let me know when to expect you.”

“See you soon, Neal.” El might be excited to meet Neal’s mom, but Peter just wanted to make sure Neal didn’t do anything stupid.

“See ya, Peter.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was a bit of a struggle for me but I hope you like it.


	7. Chapter 7

Neal went back into the house and found Jack still cleaning up in the kitchen. “They said they’d be here for the biopsy on Thursday and if I can be a donor they’ll take care of me when I get out of the hospital.”

“They?” Jack put away the last plate and leaned against the cupboard as he waited for Neal to answer. 

“Peter and his wife are both coming. El wants to meet Mom. I guess they both do. Peter was never able to find out much about my early years and it drove him nuts.” Neal shrugged and laughed at the memory of Peter’s efforts to learn details of his life.

“I’m glad they’ll be here for you. Listen, Neal….” Jack was reluctant to continue, but there were things that needed to be said. “What I told you about your mom a few days ago…..about how she reacted when you left, well… she had an emotional breakdown. The marshals’ policy of requiring people to be self-sufficient didn’t have a very good outcome for your mother. Your family’s case was only reviewed once a year and you suffered the consequences. Since she’s been sick with this liver failure she’s been struggling with the depression again. And now that you’re here it’s like reopening a wound…. I’m saying this badly….She needs you, Son. She needs to talk to you but she knows she’s hurt you. I know this is not fair to you but, you need to talk to her and see if you two can work things out.”

“Where is she?” 

“She’s in the living room. I’ll be in the kitchen if you need me but, I think it would be good for you two to have some time alone together.”

Neal nodded solemnly and walked into the living room with all the enthusiasm of a man going for a root canal. He wanted to talk to his mom but was afraid of making things worse. It seemed his usual silver tongue had abandoned him. But maybe that wasn’t a bad thing. If they were ever to develop a real relationship it needed to be based on honesty and respect and that meant his slick ways needed to be temporarily retired.

He’d expected to find Ann watching TV or reading but, instead, found her staring blankly at nothing. “Hi, Mom. Can we talk?”

“Did Jack send you in here?” She couldn’t see any other reason why Neal would seek her out.

“He suggested it might be a good time for us to talk but it’s what I was hoping to do anyway.” He sat down on the opposite end of the couch and shifted so that he was facing toward her. “I think we need to get to know each other. If I hadn’t run away we may have grown naturally into an adult-child/parent relationship but my leaving made that impossible. Now that we’re here together maybe we can work on that.”

Ann nodded sadly. “I guess I owe you that. I was a terrible mother to you and now you’re here willing to take the risk of donating your liver to me. I don’t really understand why you would want to do that.”

“Mom……have you considered that your feelings of regret are causing you to focus on all of the bad times and you’re forgetting the good times? I’m not going to say that I had a happy childhood but there were good times. And not all of the bad times were your fault. Some of them were just caused by the situation. I’m also willing to admit that I may have been just a little bit of a handful on occasion.”

Ann studied him for a moment while she thought back to his childhood. A small smile crept across her face. “‘A bit of a handful’ is a bit of an understatement. I remember when you were just a toddler. Before everything happened with James’ leaving we were just a normal happy couple with a rather extraordinary little boy. We would put you in your crib for a nap and the next thing we knew you were crawling into the living room with the biggest smile on your face. We couldn’t figure out how you were getting out of your crib so we watched from where you couldn’t see us.”

“My first time as the subject of a stakeout?” Neal risked reminding Ann of his criminal days with a smile.

Ann’s eyebrows rose as Neal joked about being pursued by the law. She wouldn’t have thought he would joke about such a serious matter and she was unsure how to respond. 

“So, did you find out how I made my first escape from behind the bars of my crib?”

Neal’s attempt to refocus her thoughts back to ‘baby Neal’ seemed to work as Ann continued with her story. “Yes. We watched for about ten minutes and saw you throw your pillow and blanket over the side of the crib. Then you pulled yourself up and struggled a bit to get your legs over the rail. You slid down the other side and your butt landed on the pillow. After that, we just went ahead and got you a ‘big-boy’ bed. We did take some pictures of your escape first though.”

Neal smiled with pride at the thought of his early success at escaping custody. “I’d like to see those pictures.”

“They’re in the attic. I’ll have Jack bring them down tomorrow.” There was another moment of silence before Ann spoke again. “Neal…….you said you remember some good times. Tell me about them.”

Most of the good things he remembered were related to Ellen but he knew it was best to keep quiet about those for now. He thought quickly for some happy memories of his mother. “I remember you taught me to speak Welsh. By the time I went to school I was better at speaking Welsh than English.”

“Ellen didn’t like that. She said I was making it hard for you to fit in at school and it might put you behind the other kids. I’ve always thought she was probably right about that but I was too stubborn at the time to admit it.”

Neal hadn’t known about that conflict between his mom and Ellen. “I don’t think she was right, Mom. It may have slowed me down at school for the first few months but I think it was good for me. They say that the earlier a child learns a new language the easier it is for them. I was bi-lingual in kindergarten. It made it easier for me to learn other languages later on. I speak nine languages now.” The FBI thought he only spoke eight languages but, they were wrong.

“Nine! My goodness.” She looked at him with pride lighting up her eyes. “So you don’t resent me for making you learn Welsh? I always thought I should have listened to Ellen about that.”

“No, Mom, I never resented it. I was curious though. You never told me anything about yourself or how you came to be fluent speaking Welsh.” He had always wondered but, he’d never had the courage to ask about her life before James and WITSEC. 

“I never told you?” He shook his head. She was surprised that she’d never told him about her childhood. “Do you want to hear about it?”

“Of course.” He had always wondered if he had other family members. Grandparents and aunts and uncles had never been mentioned.

She seemed almost excited to tell him. He hadn’t seen her this animated since……ever.

“Well, I was born in Wales.” She laughed at the surprised look she received from him. “My name was Anwen Glenna Owens.”

“I thought your maiden name was Caffrey.”

“That came later. I was born in 1966 in a place called Aberfan, in southern Wales. I had two older brothers. Huw was eight years older than me and Garreth was ten years older. When I was ten months old my brothers, and my father, were killed in a landslide. Of course, I don’t remember any of that. My mother told me a bit about it but, most of what I know I learned from doing my own research. You see, Aberfan was in a coal mining area of Wales and the waste material from the mines was piled up on a mountain slope above the village. After a period of heavy rain, the spoil tip collapsed and came down into the village. The worst damage was to the school. Five teachers and One-hundred-and-nine children were killed in the school. My father was killed on his way to work. I don’t think my mother ever got over what happened.”

“I’m not surprised. It would have been a horrible thing to have experienced. She was suddenly a single mother with an infant to take care of. Did she have a family to help her out?”

“She went to live with her sister in Cardiff. That’s where she met my stepdad. He owned a pub. They were married ten months after the accident.”

“Wasn’t that kind of soon after her husband died?”

“Well, she was pregnant. They got married and then she had a miscarriage.”

“Wow, that’s a lot of tragedy for one person to go through. Were she and your stepdad happy?”

“I don’t know that I’d ever use the word ‘happy’ to describe her, ya know?” Neal nodded. “I guess they had a good marriage. He was a great guy. He adopted me. That’s when my name became Caffrey. When I was seven we moved to the States and he and his brother opened a pub in Baltimore. He walked me down the aisle when I got married, even though he never liked your father.”

“James. Please just call him James. So, whatever happened to your mom and stepdad? Do I still have a grandmother?”

“No. She died about ten years ago. I never saw her again after going into WITSEC. My stepdad is still alive but I haven’t seen him either.”

“Maybe you should get in touch with him if Jack thinks it’s safe enough. I can’t believe I never knew any of this. Why didn’t you tell me about it when I was a kid?” He couldn’t help wondering if his grandmother’s reaction to tragedy had affected how Ann had handled her own tragedies in life.

Ann was quiet for a moment while she considered her answer. “My parents didn’t want me to marry James but I didn’t listen to them. When the marshals took us away I didn’t even have time to say goodbye to them. My mother had already lost so much in her life and then she lost me and you too. She loved you so much. I guess the reason I never told you is that it was just too sad for me to think about it.” Tears had begun slipping down her cheeks and Neal moved over to give her a hug. 

“I’m sorry, Mom. I didn’t mean to make you sad. I shouldn’t have asked.” Neal pulled a clean handkerchief out of his pocket and offered it to her.

“I’m glad you asked. It’s something I should have told you a long time ago.” She dried her eyes and blew her nose quietly. “I’m getting pretty tired. Could we talk more in the morning? I want to hear more about you.”

“Are you sure you want to hear it?” Neal couldn’t deny that he had been hurt by her reaction when he told her just a little about his past. 

“Yes, I do want to hear it. Jack has told me a little. He said you’ve never hurt anyone. He said you were an incredibly brilliant criminal.” She laughed softly. “My lawman husband sounded almost proud of your exploits. You and I have both made mistakes in life but I think the biggest mistake is that we never got to know each other very well. Let’s fix that, okay? You’re my son and I love you, no matter what you’ve done. I love you, Neal.”

“I love you too, Mom. We’ll talk tomorrow. Go get some sleep.” He kissed her cheek and stood up to help her get to her feet. Jack came out of the kitchen to help her up the stairs. 

“Good timing, Jack.” Neal smiled knowingly. 

Jack smiled back at him. “Thin walls.”

“Right.” Neal laughed. “Thin walls.” Neal followed them up the stairs. “I’m a bit tired myself. Think I’ll go to bed now too.” He went into the guest room and turned to close the door. “Good night.”

“Sleep well, Son.”

*************************************************

Peter put down the burner phone that he’d used to talk to Neal, picked up his other phone and started dialing.

“Who are you calling, Peter?”

“June. She was supposed to have gotten home today from visiting her daughter. I didn’t want to worry her but now that we know what’s going on we need to let her know.”

“Good idea. I’ll take Satchmo for a walk.” She got up and kissed the back of his neck before calling Satchmo. When she got back from her walk she found Peter in the bedroom putting clothes into a suitcase on the bed.

“Hon, what are you doing?”

“Packing. I was thinking that if we leave soon we could surprise Neal’s family and maybe catch them off guard.” He tossed a few shirts into the suitcase and looked up at El. “Aren’t you going to pack?”

“Peter, you’re acting crazy. It’s a six-hour drive. When are you planning to leave? It’s seven o’clock in the evening right now. We can’t knock on their door at one o’clock in the morning. And what about Satchmo? We need to get someone to take care of him.”

“I talked to June and explained everything to her. She’s willing to take care of Satchmo at her place. She’s on her way over here right now to pick him up and she’s bringing some of Neal’s clothes too. We can drive to Pittsburgh and get a hotel room. We’ll sleep for a few hours and go see Neal about seven in the morning.” He pulled some socks out of a drawer and tossed them in next to the shirts.

“Peter. Sit down and let’s talk about this.” She sat on the edge of the bed and waited for Peter to comply. When he hesitated she gave him ‘the look’. Slightly squinted eyes, firmly set jaw……Peter sighed. He couldn’t fight ‘the look’. He sat down.

“El, I’m worried about him.”

“I’m concerned too, Peter, but was there something that he said that gave you a reason to believe we needed to rush to his side? He sounded fine to me.”

“Yes, he sounded fine. But this is Neal. He’s impulsive. When his emotions are involved he doesn’t think. I’ve let him down in the past and I just want to make sure to be there with him before he has a chance to do something he’ll regret. He may not be in my custody at the moment but he’s still my responsibility. If you want to wait I can go by myself and you can come later. But since we both have this week off I thought it would be good to go as soon as we can.” He took hold of her hand and rubbed his thumb across the back of it. “It could be fun. We haven’t had a road trip in a long time…….Please?”

“Are you going to be okay to do all the driving? Because, if you remember, I’m pregnant and I’ll probably fall asleep in the car before we are even out of the city.”

Peter thought for a moment. El needed her rest but if El was asleep he wouldn’t have anyone to talk to if he got sleepy. “Jones! I could get Jones to come with and he could fly home tomorrow morning.”

El sighed in defeat. “Call him. If he’s okay with it then we’ll do it. Otherwise, we wait until morning like sane, reasonable people.”

********************************

At seven o’clock on Tuesday morning, Peter and El left their hotel room to go see Neal. El was well rested after having slept in the car for several hours before they got to the hotel. Peter was a little tired but the thought of seeing Neal had him alert for the moment. 

“Let’s just see if Jones is awake before we leave.” They stopped and knocked on the door across the hall from their room.

The door was opened by Jones, who was already dressed and holding a cup of coffee in his hand. “Good morning, Peter, Elizabeth. Are you heading out to see Caffrey already.”

“Yeah, I just wanted to thank you for coming with us and helping with the driving. What time is your flight?”

“Nine o’clock. I figure I’ll head to the airport and grab something to eat while I wait for my flight. I wish I could go with you to meet Caffrey’s mother. All those years of chasing him and we never found out anything about his family. I want a full report when you get back to New York.”

Peter’s eyebrows rose and a crooked smile appeared. “You do remember that you’re not the only one who got a promotion, right? I’m still your boss. You don’t get to demand a report from me.”

Jones nodded and shrugged. “True. But I like Neal and I’m concerned about how he is………and I’m curious about his family.” 

Peter smirked with a knowing nod. “I’ll see what I can do. Give me a call if anything comes up at the office.”

“Will do, but don’t worry. We can handle things until you get back.”

“Thanks, Jones.” 

**********************************

Neal had carried a mug of coffee into the living room and placed it on the end table next to his mother when the doorbell rang. Jack was busy carrying a large box down the stairs so Neal went to open the door. 

“Neal!” Before Neal could respond he was engulfed in a hug that nearly knocked him off balance. Jack and Ann looked on with surprised interest. When Neal was able to take a step away he closed the door and turned to give El a hug. 

“Come in and sit down.” Neal led the way over to where his mother was sitting and made the introductions. “Peter and Elizabeth Burke, this is my mother, Ann, and my stepdad, Jack Harper. Jack was one of the marshals who looked after us in WITSEC.” Neal looked at his mom before finishing the introduction. “Mom, this is the FBI agent who chased me and arrested me and sent me to supermax prison for four years.”

Ann was puzzled by the introduction. She couldn’t imagine anyone being friends with the person responsible for taking away their freedom. But as Neal had made the introduction it was obvious that he was fond of these people. She was beginning to remember that her son was a complex individual. “Neal, why don’t you go get our guests some coffee?” 

El took a seat in the chair nearest to where Ann sat on the couch. “No coffee for me, thanks. Unless you have decaf? Or, if it’s not too much trouble, some juice would be nice.” Neal turned to go into the kitchen hoping no one had noticed that he was a bit nervous about this situation.

Peter had spent three days worrying about Neal and, now that he was here with the man responsible for Neal’s disappearance, he was a little short on social niceties. “Marshal Harper, was there a reason you couldn’t have come to me before you kidnapped Neal?”

Jack sat down next to Ann on the couch before answering. “I was under the impression that Neal was just your CI and I thought a temporary change of custody wouldn’t be a problem. I can see now that he’s more than that to you. I apologize.”

Peter had been ready for a confrontation and was totally thrown off his game by the sincere apology from Jack. “Okay……..next time come to me first.” His gaze shifted awkwardly to El, who rolled her eyes at him.

“You’ll have to forgive my husband. He tends to be a little possessive of Neal. His way of looking at it is ‘I caught him, he’s mine’”.

“He’s my responsibility, El. I’m trying to make sure he finishes his sentence without getting in any more trouble. That’s all.” 

Neal returned with the coffee and juice and could feel the tension in the air. “Are you two done fighting over me yet?” He set Peter’s coffee down on the table and handed El a glass of orange juice. Peter and Jack exchanged looks but neither of them spoke up. 

El took a sip of juice and set her glass down. “They most certainly are done fighting over you if I have anything to say about it.” She briefly glanced at the box Jack had placed on the table. “So, I’m curious……may I ask what’s in the box labeled ‘DANNY’? It reminds me of the ‘Caffrey’ box in our attic.”

The groan that came from Neal at the mention of the infamous ‘Caffrey’ box was soft, but Ann heard it and she was intrigued. “What’s in your ‘Caffrey’ box?” 

El smiled in delight as she answered the question. “Lot’s of stuff. Weird bits of this and that collected by my husband while he was chasing after Neal. There are doodles that he found in a hotel room in Chicago. Birthday and Christmas cards that Neal sent while he was on the run. There are also some cards he sent from prison. There are some wine bottle corks; which never made sense to anyone. Oh, and there’s a recipe for oatmeal raisin cookies. I made a batch when Peter showed the recipe to me and since then I’ve never made them any other way.”

Neal’s eyes widened at the mention of the recipe. “You found the cookie recipe?”

“Yeah, but we couldn’t figure out why it was important so it went into the box. What was the story behind the recipe?” The forlorn look on Neal’s face told Peter all he needed to know. “The cookies were Kate’s favorite, weren’t they?”

Neal just shrugged in response and then looked at Ann. “Mom, what’s in the ‘Danny’ box?”

Ann scooted forward in her seat so she could reach the box and she removed the lid. “Lot’s of stuff.” She smiled as she repeated the phrase that El had used. She began pulling things out of the box and laid them on the table as she explained each item. “Here are some pictures.” She flipped through the small photo album. “Here. These are the pictures I was telling you about last night of you escaping from your crib.”

Neal took the pictures from her and smiled as he looked at them and then passed them to Peter. 

There was definitely a smirk on Peter’s face when he looked at the picture. “Look Hon, Neal’s first escape from behind bars.”

“Oh, how cute. Neal, I would love a copy of this. We can make an enlargement of it and display it at your ‘freedom party’”. Neal gave her a skeptical look but didn’t respond to her comment. 

“What else have you got, Mom?”

“These are the refrigerator magnets you made for me.” She pulled out a stack of what looked like miniature paintings. They were about two inches by three inches and they were framed with hand-carved frames made from popsicle sticks. 

Peter picked up a few of the magnets off of the table. “The Mona Lisa? Starry Night? Oh, look! A Degas. Your first forgeries, Neal?”

“Copies, Peter. They are only forgeries if I try to pass them off as the real thing. No one in his right mind would believe that the Mona Lisa is a two by three-inch refrigerator magnet.” 

El took a few from Peter and looked at them. “Neal, these are really good. How old were you when you did these?”

Neal shrugged. “I don’t know. Maybe fifteen or sixteen.”

Ann held one of the magnets and slowly ran her fingers over the frame. “This is my favorite. It always reminded of me of when I was a little girl.”

Neal took the little painting from her and nodded. “This is a copy of a Keffin Williams painting. He was a Welsh landscape painter. I can paint you a full-sized copy if you’d like.”

Ann nodded again and then set the little painting aside. She reached into the box again and pulled out something else. It was a red, leather-covered folder that she opened for him before handing it to him. “This is your high school diploma.”

Neal accepted the item with a shocked look on his face. “But, I didn’t graduate. I dropped out a month before the end of the school year. I didn’t graduate.”

“But, Neal, you were a straight-A student. You had enough credits to graduate after the winter semester but you wanted to stay and be valedictorian. When you left home Ellen went to the school and demanded that they issue a diploma. You earned it.”

“Huh, I never knew. I guess it doesn’t really do me much good anyway. It’s got the name ‘Daniel Nathan Brooks’ on it.” It shouldn’t matter. If he had ever needed a diploma he would have forged one, but for some reason, he felt proud of himself. He closed the folder and placed it on the table. 

Jack had watched as Neal examined the diploma. He could tell that it was important to his stepson. “I’ll talk to my boss about getting you a diploma with your new name on it. It shouldn’t be a problem. Like your mother said, you earned it.”

Neal tried not to let on that it was important to him. He casually replied, “Thanks, Jack, that would be good. Does anyone want more coffee?”

Peter didn’t really want any more coffee but he could see that Neal needed a moment to himself. He held out his mug and Neal grabbed it and headed for the kitchen.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am, as always, nervous about posting another chapter. I have attempted to make Neal's mother less of a selfish witch. The Aberfan tragedy really happened. It truly must have been a devastating experience for the whole village.  
> I've done a little research on the WITSEC program and it seems that after people are established in their new lives the marshals only check on them once a year. I thought that would explain why no one intervened when Neal's mother was neglecting him.  
> Your comments are always appreciated.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a very short chapter. Sorry. I hope you like what little there is of it.

Neal finished filling the coffee mug, set the coffee pot down, and then leaned against the kitchen counter trying to sort out his thoughts. He was known for his ability to adapt but this was starting out to be a crazy day. First Peter and El had shown up and then there were the contents of the ‘Danny box’. He would like a little more time to process the morning’s events but he knew it was unwise to leave Peter and his mother unsupervised. He sighed and carried the mug of coffee into the living room. 

“Here’s your coffee, Peter. Did I miss anything?” Neal sat down and looked from Peter to his mother. There was a strange silence in the room.

“I’m sorry, I just asked your mother what you were like when you were a kid. I was wondering if you ever played baseball or anything with your friends after school. I didn’t mean to pry.”

Peter looked very uncomfortable and Neal could see why. His mother seemed to have withdrawn into herself and Jack had put his arm around Ann’s shoulder and was whispering comfortingly into her ear.

“Peter,” Neal said quietly, “when I was about eight years old Mom got a job as a waitress. She worked most afternoons and evenings trying to support us. She didn’t always have time to check up on me but, I understood that. I was pretty self-sufficient.” Neal and his mother had their issues but Neal would always defend her, no matter what. 

“I’m sorry.” Peter wasn’t sure what else to say. It was hard trying to talk with his foot stuffed so firmly in his mouth. 

“Well, as I said, I was pretty self-sufficient. And Mom worked in a really nice restaurant. She would always bring me some dessert that I’d eat for breakfast.” Neal smiled at his mom and she seemed to be coming out of the dark mood she had so quickly gone into. He continued talking, hoping to lighten the mood even more. “Plus we had some really great neighbors. They were always around checking in on me.”

Ann suddenly sat up a little straighter and she looked at Neal. “Oh,” she said softly, with a tone of wonderment.

“Oh what, Mom?”  
‘  
“The neighbors. 'Danny’s Grannies’. I hadn’t thought about that in years.” Neal smiled at her and nodded. Ann looked directly at Peter as she continued. “We lived in an older apartment building that was inhabited by mostly elderly retired widows. Danny…..well, Neal had them wound around his little finger. Those old biddies just loved him.”

“Mom! They weren’t ‘old biddies’, they were ladies. They were my friends.” Neal silently admitted to himself that after everything Peter had done for him it was time he opened up about his past. “One of them would usually knock on our door a few minutes after I got home from school. I think they took turns. Anyway, they’d come over and ask me to help them with something or other. I’d do whatever it was they needed and they’d feed me dinner and then we’d talk.”

“What kind of stuff would you help them with?” Peter didn’t like the idea of a very young Neal having no one to protect him from potentially dangerous neighbors. Being old didn’t necessarily mean they were harmless.

Neal shrugged. “Just stuff, Peter. Some would ask for help with cleaning. Oma Inga always needed help finding her cat, which I usually found under the bed. Mamaw Eula usually needed me to taste test a new recipe. Just stuff, Peter.”

“And what would you talk about with them?” Peter’s expression was changing from his curious look to his interrogation face. “And don’t say ‘just stuff.’”

“Oma Inga would make sure I did my homework and then we’d talk about what I was studying. She was a retired school teacher. She also taught me to speak German. Mamaw would tell me about her grandkids and she taught me how to crochet. Nonna Capella taught me to speak Italian. Oh, and Sergei taught me to speak Russian.”

Ann’s eyes opened wide with alarm. “Sergei? That crazy old man. I told you to stay away from him. He was dangerous.” 

“Mom, he wasn’t crazy and he never hurt me. He was…..Excentric and he was a really great storyteller. He told me he was a Russian soldier stationed in Berlin when they started putting up the wall. He defected and eventually came to the states and worked for the CIA teaching young spies to speak Russian. I don’t know if any of his stories were true but what little boy doesn’t like a good spy story? After I met Sergei I stopped spending so many weekends at the pool hall.” 

Peter was looking at Neal as if he was trying to put the pieces of a puzzle together. “All of this explains a lot.”

Neal raised an eyebrow at that. “Really? What does it explain, Peter?” 

“It explains why you’re so comfortable with any kind of social interaction for one thing. Most kids spend time with either their family or other kids. You were out meeting people from different backgrounds and age groups when other kids were playing baseball. It also explains why you are fluent in so many languages. If I were to develop a training program for a future conman-extraordinaire that would be a good start. Did you have a granny who taught you the art of forgery?”

Neal sat back in his chair and grinned his most cocky smile. “Conman-extraordinaire? Thank you, Peter. But, alas, no; none of my grannies were forgers. I learned the basics of forgery from a guy I met at the pool hall. My first forgery was a city bus pass that I used to get to school. Any more questions, Peter?”

Elizabeth saw the look on Peter’s face that reminded her of Satchmo with a new toy. She knew Peter wouldn’t let this subject go without a distraction. She spoke quickly to cut Peter off. “As much as I’m enjoying learning about your past I’m also concerned about the present. How bad is this liver biopsy going to be for you? Is it normal for them to do that before you donate or do they suspect a problem.”

Neal would rather keep talking about the past than about his near future with the medical profession. But he couldn’t avoid the facts. “The biopsy will be an outpatient procedure. I’ll need to be in the hospital for a few hours. It’s not unusual for them to do this but the reason they want me to have it done is that I drink wine. They prefer a donor to abstain from alcohol for six months.”

El looked at him and smiled. “Mozzie drinks most of your wine for you, doesn’t he? I know you only drink in moderation. I’ve never seen you drunk.”

Peter snorted in laughter. “You didn’t see him the morning after he made counterfeit whiskey.”

“Nice, Peter. I would like to remind you I only did that to help the FBI catch some bad guys.”

“Okay, that’s a fair point. So, what kind of a time frame are we looking at here? You have the biopsy Thursday. Then what? When will they do the transplant?”

“Maybe as soon as next week but, it really depends on how Mom’s doing.”

Ann frowned and shook her head. “I’m still not happy about this idea. You need to be very sure you want to do this, Neal. Have you considered all of the consequences? It’s only been a few days since you first considered doing this and I don’t think you’ve thought it through.”

“Mom, of course, I’ve thought it through. I’ve talked to the social worker and the doctor about it. If the doctors approve me to be a donor there’s no way anyone could talk me out of it.” 

Peter had listened to the short conversation between Neal and his mother. He’d observed Neal’s stubborn streak in the past and he knew Neal’s mind was set. Peter’s own doubts about the situation were set to rest now that he knew Neal was not being coerced into this. Peter cleared his throat. “Ma’am, I’ve known and worked with Neal for a few years and I can tell you when he makes up his mind no one can change it. I’ve seen Neal do some pretty impulsive and stupid things but I honestly think he has thought this through. He consulted me about how this would affect his deal with the FBI and I’ve assured him he doesn’t need to worry about that.”

Ann was still confused, and hesitant to give in. “I don’t really understand why he wants to do it. I was a terrible mother to him. You’ve heard that I wasn’t there when he needed me. It just doesn’t make sense that he should want to do this.”

“But it does make sense to Neal.” El leaned forward and put her hand on Ann’s arm. “Your son loves you. When Neal loves someone there is nothing he wouldn’t do to keep them safe. I’ve never met a more kind-hearted and forgiving man. He has forgiven you for your past mistakes and now you need to forgive yourself.”

Neal sat there, speechless. He was always willing to accept compliments for his skills and intelligence but praise for his basic character made him uncomfortable. El was making him sound like a boy scout and nothing could be farther from the truth. “El, I’m not…”

“Shut up, Neal.” Peter knew Neal. He knew that Neal lacked a real sense of self-worth. “El’s right. You are a very loyal and forgiving man. And I’ll be honest here. The reason we showed up without warning was to see if you were being used. But I can see that’s not the case. You and your mother need to do some serious work on your relationship, but you love each other. That’s a good place to start.”


	9. Chapter 9

“Family of Neal Caffrey?” The nurse looked around the waiting room and spotted Peter and El as they stood up. “Mr. Caffrey is in recovery now. You can sit with him but, I need to warn you that he seems to be a bit sleepy.” 

“Did everything go ok?” Peter had hated sitting in the waiting room knowing he had no control over the situation. If he felt this helpless while Neal underwent a biopsy how much worse would it be for the donor surgery?

“It went well.” The nurse led them into the recovery ward and drew back the curtain from around Neal’s bed. “We’ll have him here for observation for about four hours and then you can take him home. Just press the call button if you need anything.”

Peter thanked the nurse and he and El sat down in the chairs next to the bed. “Hey, Neal, how are you doing?”

“I’m fine.” 

“Not the most believable lie I’ve ever heard. You look like crap.”

El frowned at Peter and motioned for him to shut up. “Peter! Neal, that’s not true. You just look a little tired, which is understandable.”

“Thanks, El. And, Peter, I’ve never lied to you.”

“Hmm, maybe not but, I know you’ve stretched the truth a time or two. I need you to be honest with us about how you’re feeling. And you need to be honest with the doctors and nurses too.”

Neal rolled his eyes and sighed. “Okay. I’ll be honest. I’m in a little bit of pain but it’s not bad. Mostly I’m just sleepy because I was awake most of the night.”

“Do you want us to be quiet so you can get some rest? We should call your mother and give her an update. She really wanted to be here.”

El pulled out her phone and started texting. "I'll text her a quick update and then call her in a few minutes."

“I know she wanted to be here, but she needs to take care of herself right now and Jack needs to be with her.” Neal pressed the button to raise the head of his bed and reached for the cup of ice water on the table. He took a few sips of water and put the cup back on the table. “Let’s talk. I don't want to sleep yet or I won't be able to sleep tonight. When do you both have to be back to work?”

“If you’re doing ok I thought we’d leave tomorrow afternoon. I’ve got some things I need to take care of at the office and then early next week I’ve got some meetings I need to get ready for. I want to get everything in order so I can be here if you have surgery.” Peter shifted around in the plastic chair, trying unsuccessfully to get comfortable.

“If you have a lot going on at work I can probably get Mozzie or June to come for the surgery.”

“As a matter of fact, I’ve already talked to them. Nothing is going to stop me from being here for the surgery, but if I need to get back to New York while you’re recovering they’ll be here. We’re working it out so there will always be somebody around for you. Diana and Jones also said they’d help. We’ve got your back, Neal.” El smiled with pride at Peter. She’d been afraid that he’d slip into his ‘cowboy up’ speech. She knew he really cared about Neal but he wasn’t always good at showing his feelings.

Neal nodded but had a look of concern on his face. “What about your bosses? Have you asked if they’re going to be okay with me taking time off?”

“No.” Peter frowned and he had that stubborn look in his eyes. “I didn’t ask them; I told them what was going to happen.”

“Really? And they just accepted that without question?” Neal doubted that it had been as easy as Peter was trying to lead him to believe.

“Well, I wouldn’t say ‘without question’. Let’s be honest, Neal. You haven’t always been a role model for the success of this kind of program. You know I’ve kept a few of your exploits from the record. But, overall, you’ve done a good job. You’ve saved lives and helped us close a lot of cases. There’s no way I’m going to let them give you any problems with this.”

The respect and affection that Neal felt for Peter were evident in his expression as he listened. When Peter stopped talking Neal had to look away for a moment to get his emotions under control. He took another sip of water and then met Peter’s gaze.

“Thank you, Peter. I really do appreciate everything you’re doing for me. I’m sure I’ll be back helping you take down the bad guys in no time.”

Peter sighed. He’d hoped to put this conversation off but maybe it would be good to get it over with. “Things are going to have to be different, Neal. I know you like going undercover but that’s not going to happen anymore. When you get back to work you’re going to be strictly a consultant.”

“Peter…that’s not fair.”

“Yes, it is fair, Neal. That’s what you were released to do. Consult. Advise. Research. Cold cases. You’re just going to have to cowboy up and accept that.”

“You’ll never trust me, will you? Is this about what I did to fix the situation that James caused? I won’t apologize for that. I did what I had to do.”

“Neal, two wrongs don’t make a right. You can’t take…” He was cut off abruptly by El.

“Peter. You’re not saying this well at all. Neal feels like you’re doing this to punish him. Is that what you’re doing?”

“No. Of course not. El, you and I talked about this.” Neal clearly was not happy as he listened to the couple talk about him.

El put her hand on Peter’s shoulder and gave it a little shove. “Peter. You’ve talked to me about it but you need to explain it to Neal. Talk and explain; don’t just issue your decree and expect him to cowboy up.” She looked from her stubborn husband to their friend who was laying in a hospital bed. She could see the hurt in Neal’s eyes and decided to take control of the situation.

“Neal. What Peter should be explaining is that he’s concerned about you. You’ve only got about six months to go on your sentence and he doesn’t want anything to happen that might affect that. It’s not just about you getting into trouble, although, yes that’s part of it. But, Neal, there have been times when the people who are supposed to uphold the law have used you. Agent Rice nearly got you killed and you never would have escaped from prison in the first place if Fowler hadn’t been manipulating you. Peter just wants to protect you so you can finish your sentence without any more incidents.” El got up from her chair and sat on the bed beside Neal. She reached up and combed her fingers through his hair and then leaned down and kissed his forehead. El briefly glanced at Peter and then made an executive decision. She stood up and tucked the blanket around Neal.

“Neal.” She made sure she had his attention before she continued. “I’m concerned about you too. But, there’s more going on here. You are Peter’s responsibility and you know how seriously Peter takes responsibility, right?” Neal nodded. “If you’re undercover Peter will be there to protect you. And that means he’s in danger too. I’m going to tell you a secret. You can keep secrets, right?”

Neal gave her a fake look of hurt and placed a hand on his chest. “El, I’m hurt that you would even ask me that. Of course, I can keep a secret.”

El looked at Peter and he nodded for her to continue. “Neal, I really want Peter to stop doing field work because I worry about him. And worry isn’t good for me right now.” She smiled at Neal with tears in her eyes. “Neal, I’m pregnant. That’s why I decided to quit my job in DC. Please, Neal, could you do this for me? You’re Peter’s partner and I need you both to stay safe.”

Neal reached for El’s hand and kissed it. “You two are going to be the most amazing parents. And of course, I’ll do whatever I can for you. If I die of boredom working on cold cases will you name the baby after me?”

“No.” Peter was relieved to get back to familiar ground.

“That’s your favorite word, isn’t it?”

“It’s a classic.”

“Nick is a nice name. Nicholas Burke.”

“No.”

“George.”

“No.”

“Daniel.”

“Neal…” 

Neal smiled his flashy conman-smile. “You’re right. Neal would be best. Neal Burke.”

“That’s not what I was saying. I was warning you to shut up.”

“Boys! We have plenty of time to pick out a name. And it might be a girl. Have either of you thought of that?”

The look of fear on Peter’s face indicated that he hadn’t thought of that. But the look of fear was quickly replaced by one of wonder as he pictured a little dark-haired girl with blue eyes. 

Neal saw the joy and pride on Peter’s face and couldn’t resist a little more teasing. “You know, ‘Nell’ would be a nice name. Or Nicole… Georgia… Dannielle.”

Peter was relieved when the nurse came to check on Neal and stuck a thermometer in his mouth.


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Neal has been approved as a liver donor for his mother. He's nervous the night before surgery but a visit from Mozzie helps.

Neal laid in his bed unable to sleep. It had been less than two weeks since the ‘kidnapping’ had turned his life upside down. He sighed in frustration and rolled over. He punched the pillow. Tomorrow was the big day. He and his mother were having surgery at seven o’clock in the morning.

He should be sleeping but it seemed like a thousand thoughts were all crowded in his head, each one demanding his attention. The events of the last week-and-a-half were almost too much for him to process. For years he had missed his mother and regretted the way they had parted when he was eighteen. Even though the anger about her lies had stayed with him through the years he still had blamed himself for their final argument. So many times over the years he had wanted to take back the angry words and have a relationship with his mom. 

Now that he and his mom were talking and building a close relationship he should be happy. Tomorrow he was donating part of his liver to her. Why were all the unhappy memories coming to the forefront of his mind? For years he would have denied that his mother had neglected him. He’d defended his mom any time Ellen had made a biting comment about her. Yet now he laid here remembering all of the times he had wanted her attention and he’d been ignored. She hadn’t cared about his drawings or his perfect report cards. A tear slipped down his cheek as he thought about all of his efforts to win her affection when he was a boy. 

He rolled over again and punched the pillow several times. Why was he thinking about this now? Maybe it was because he was nervous about the surgery. He and his mom had talked and forgiven each other. He was sure that it had been her depression that had caused the neglect back then. He knew she loved him now. He needed to move on. 

The buzzing of his phone was a welcome interruption. He threw back the covers and walked over to get his phone off the dresser. He smiled as he read the text message.

_‘I’m in the backyard. Can you come out?’_

Neal flicked the bedroom light on and off twice to let Mozzie know he was on his way down. He crept quietly down the stairs and into the kitchen. He punched in the code to turn off the alarm system hoping he hadn’t woken anyone up. 

“Moz?” He heard a rustling sound in the bushes. 

“Mon Frere. Nice house. Very middle-class-boy-next-door.”

Neal looked around and the house and yard. “Yeah, I guess it is. Moz, why are you here in the middle of the night?”

“I wanted to make sure you knew what you were doing. It’s not too late to change your mind. I’ve got everything we need in the car. We can be half-way to paradise by morning.”

“No, Moz. I know what I’m doing.” Neal ran his fingers through his hair to smooth it out. He was sure after all of his tossing and turning he must have a serious case of bed-head. “Moz, I’d really appreciate your support right now. I’ve got a head full of chaos and I don’t think I can handle an argument about my choices. Okay?”

Mozzie could see the signs of Neal’s inner conflict and took pity on him. “Sure, Neal. You run, I run. You stay and do something ill-advised, I stay and pick up the pieces. But, can I ask if you’re sure about what you’re doing, where does the ‘head full of chaos’ come from?”

“Let’s talk inside, Moz. It’s kind of cold out here.” Neal moved toward the door but stopped when Mozzie shook his head. “Moz?”

“What if we wake them up?” Mozzie shifted nervously as he looked around for signs of eavesdroppers. 

Neal suppressed a smile. “Okay, Moz, I’m going to go get my robe and slippers. I’ll be right back. Why don’t you go sit on the bench in the garden? It’s farther away from the house so, we won’t be overheard.” Neal went into the house and saw Jack sitting at the kitchen table.

“Neal, is everything okay? You should be sleeping.”

“Everything is fine. You are the one who should be sleeping. I’ll sleep just fine during the surgery while you’re sitting in an uncomfortable waiting room chair worried about Mom. I’m just going to get my robe and go back out to talk to Mozzie.”

“Okay. But, Neal, I’ll be worried about you too.”

Neal nodded but wasn’t sure how to respond to that. Instead, he motioned toward his room to indicate he was going to get his robe. Jack followed him up the stairs and stopped with Neal outside the guest room. 

“Neal, you can still change your mind about this surgery.” 

“That’s not going to happen, Jack. It’s the one thing I’m sure of.” 

Jack gave Neal a quick hug and shoved him gently into the guest room. “Get your robe and don’t keep your friend waiting. Good night, Neal.”

The conversation with Mozzie was just what Neal had needed. Moz didn’t try to analyze him or tell him to ‘cowboy up’. He just listened and nodded. After Neal had talked himself out they sat in silence for a few minutes looking at the stars. 

“Neal..”

“Yeah, Moz?”

“I know you want to go straight when you finish your sentence. We haven’t talked about it but, I know. I want you to know I’m okay with that because I want you to be happy. Whatever you decide to do we’ll always be friends.”

“Thanks, Moz. And thanks for listening tonight.”

“Anytime. But, I have a confession to make. The suit asked me to come and check on you. He thought you might need to talk.”

Neal laughed. “Sometimes it’s scary how well he knows me. We should get some sleep. Do you want to stay here, Moz? I have a king-sized bed. It’s big enough for both of us.” Mozzie just gave him an owlish stare. “Oh, come on, Moz. We’ve shared a bed before.”

“Fine, but don’t hog the covers this time.”

Neal gave Mozzie a pair of pajamas and showed him where the bathroom was. By the time Mozzie returned to the guest room Neal was sound asleep. Mozzie pulled the blanket up to cover Neal’s shoulders before he walked around to the other side of the bed. It took Mozzie a few minutes to get comfortable but, he was soon drifting off to sleep. He woke up a short time later shivering. Normally he would just tug the blanket away from Neal but Neal needed his sleep. A quiet search for a spare blanket in the drawers and closet turned up nothing. Mozzie sighed as he wrapped himself in Neal’s robe and crawled back onto the bed. 

Mozzie laid awake for a while, thinking through his plans to help Neal make a fresh start. All perfectly legal, of course. June had already been a big help and in the morning he was meeting with Elizabeth to see if she wanted to help. El had a few contacts in the New York art world who could be useful. Mozzie remembered that Neal hadn’t been too happy with the last surprise he had given him. The Nazi treasure fiasco had been a mistake which ended up hurting a lot of people. This surprise had to be perfect, even if it meant taking extreme measures. And there was nothing more extreme in Mozzie’s view than doing things the legal, honest way. He would definitely need El’s help.

***************************

There was a knock on the door and the door opened before Neal had a chance to wake up enough to reply. 

“Neal, Peter is here to take you to the hospital.” Jack turned on the light and stood in the doorway waiting for Neal to answer. Neal, however, didn’t seem to be fully awake yet. It was the man sharing Neal’s bed who answered. 

“This is not what it looks like.” The bald little man got up hurriedly and wrapped the robe more tightly around himself. 

Neal rolled onto his back and pushed himself up to lean against the headboard. “Jack? What time is it?”

“It’s four-thirty in the morning. You need to be at the hospital at five-thirty. Peter is here to take you. I’m going to leave soon for the hospital to check on your mother. She never sleeps well when she’s in the hospital.” Jack looked from Neal to his nervous little friend and back again. “Are you going to introduce me to your friend, Neal?”

“Sure. Jack, this is Mozzie. Mozzie, Jack is my step-dad.” Neal started to push back the blanket when he realized it was all on his side of the bed. “Sorry, Moz, I guess I hogged the blankets again.”

“You always do, Neal. You’d better go get a shower.” 

“Right.” Neal got up, went to the dresser and started pulling out clothes. “I won’t be long.” Neal left the bedroom and headed for the bathroom across the hall. 

Jack turned to Mozzie. “So…will you be coming with Neal to the hospital?”

“Do you have any idea how many germs there are in a hospital?” 

Jack shook his head with a stunned look which caused Mozzie to nod with satisfaction. “Of course you don’t. Let’s just say I’ll be in town. Mrs. Suit can call me if Neal needs me for anything.”

“Mrs. Suit?”

“Elizabeth, the Suit’s wife.”

“Where, exactly, will you be staying?” Jack hoped Mozzie wasn’t intending to stay here in his home. 

“In a hotel near the hospital. Now, if you don’t mind, I’m going to get dressed.” 

Jack nodded. “Of course. It was nice to meet you Mozzie.” 

“Likewise, Marshal. But, you should know I tried to talk Neal out of this.”

“So did I, Mozzie. He’s a stubborn one, isn’t he?”

“He follows his heart. It gets him into trouble, but that’s Neal.”

Jack nodded again and then left so Mozzie could get dressed.

*********************

“Mr. and Mrs. Burke? If you’ll follow me you can sit with Neal until they take him into surgery. It shouldn’t be too long now. He’s been given a sedative to help him relax so, he might be a bit sleepy.” 

The nurse led the way through the pre-op ward and drew back the curtain around Neal’s bed to allow Peter and El to enter.

“Neal, Buddy, how are you doing?” Peter stood next to Neal’s bed and patted him on the shoulder.

“Peeeterr. I’m gooood. They gave me somethin’.” Neal looked up at them with a goofy grin. “Peeterr, make sure you let Moz know how I'm doin’. Kay? He worries.”

El tried her best to suppress a giggle but, drugged Neal was just the cutest thing. She took ahold of his hand. “Neal, Sweetie, I’ll keep Mozzie informed of everything. Peter will stay here at the hospital during your surgery while I go spend a little time with Mozzie. I’ll make sure he doesn’t worry too much.”

Neal’s expression changed from the goofy grin to worry. “But, El, if you’re with Mozzie who’s gonna keep Peeeterr from worryin’? He worries ‘bout me ya know.” Neal was looking at El and missed the eye-roll from Peter.

El leaned over and kissed Neal’s forehead. “I know he worries about you. But, I’ll just be gone a little while right after they start the surgery. And Peter and Jack can keep each other company. They’ll be okay.”

Neal's eyes started to close. “I love you guys.”

The curtain was pulled aside and the nurse came back in. “It’s time for us to take him away now. The surgery waiting room is out that door and down to the right. Just check in with the receptionist and she’ll get you situated.”

Peter and El stepped back as Neal’s bed was rolled away. “We’ll see you later, Buddy.”

Neal gave a sleepy wave and then closed his eyes again.

“You know something, Hon?” Peter held the door and they walked into the hallway.

“What, Peter?”

“I do worry about him.” 

“You don’t seriously think that confession would surprise anyone, do you, Peter? Everyone knows you worry about Neal. Now, come on, let’s go find the waiting room and get you settled before I go meet Mozzie. He said he has something very important to discuss with me and I’m very curious about what it could be.”

Peter frowned at her. “Just don’t let him involve you in any of his crazy schemes.”

“Don’t be silly, Peter. He wouldn’t involve me in anything questionable. He’s too afraid of you.” The look on Peter’s face showed his doubt about that. “Don’t worry about me, Peter. There’s the waiting room receptionist. Go check in and get yourself some coffee. I’ll be back soon. Call me if there are any updates on Neal.”


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Neal goes into surgery and Mozzie has a plan for Neal's future. Just a short chapter.

Peter poured himself another cup of coffee and returned to his seat next to Jack. “So, Jack, you knew Neal when he was little?”

“I knew him but not very well. He was twelve when I took over their case. By that time they were well established in the WITSEC system and I only needed to check up on them a few times a year. I should have spent more time looking into their situation instead of relying on the reports left by my predecessor. If I’d have been more involved maybe he would have made better choices in life.”

Peter nodded and took a sip of coffee. “Maybe you’re right about that. But you can’t change the past. Neal made a lot of bad choices but I’m pretty sure he wants things to be different in the future. He’ll be getting his freedom soon and he’ll need our support. Stop thinking about the mistakes you made in the past and make sure you’re there for him in the present and in the future.”

“I’ll do my best.” Jack smiled and shook his head. “He’s not at all what I expected he’d be like.”

“What did you expect?”

“Well, when I started looking for him all I had was the information from Ellen. She had tried to contact Ann and I had the letter she had sent through the Marshal’s service. Her letter explained that Danny was now Neal Caffrey. I did some investigating and found Neal’s criminal record.”

“So, you were surprised that he’d become a criminal.” Peter thought he understood. Neal may only have been convicted of one crime but his list of alleged crimes was quite impressive.

“No, it’s not that. Although, of course, I didn’t know he would turn to a life of crime. What I didn’t expect was to like him so much after I found out about his crimes. When I went to New York to bring him back here I guess I was just thinking about him as a criminal. But then I got to know him and now I almost can’t believe he ever was a criminal. He’s smart and funny and…….nice. That’s what makes me regret so much that I didn’t do more for him when he was little. He could have done so much with his life.” 

“He still can. We’ll be there for him. Neal has friends who want to help him succeed.” Peter took another sip of coffee. 

“Speaking of Neal’s friends……..what’s with this Mozzie character?” 

“You met Mozzie?” Peter was surprised that Mozzie would be willing to make the acquaintance of another lawman. 

“Yeah. I found him in bed with Neal this morning.” 

“You what? They were in bed together?” 

“Well, Mozzie came by late to talk to Neal and I guess Neal didn’t feel right offering Mozzie the other guest room. Anyway, you should have seen it. Neal had all of the blankets on his side of the bed and Mozzie was wrapped up in a robe over his pajamas. I didn’t get much chance to talk to him but he seems pretty paranoid.”

“Yeah, Mozzie is paranoid. He’s also extremely smart and very protective of Neal. He’s a conman but we’ve never found any evidence against him. We haven’t really tried, to be honest. He’s helped us solve a few cases over the years. And we know Neal would never be friends with anyone violent. So, as long as we don’t stumble into a pile of evidence against him we’re okay. My wife is having coffee with him right now. He said there was something important he wanted to talk to her about.”

“That doesn’t worry you?” 

“I’m not worried. The curiosity is driving me crazy though.” Peter threw his empty coffee cup in the trash can. “I wouldn’t mind getting something to eat. You want to join me?”

“Yeah, I’m not really hungry but it would be good to get out of this waiting room for a bit. I’ll go get a pager from the receptionist so they can find us if they need to.” 

Peter waited by the door while Jack spoke to the receptionist. The surgeries were expected to last four to eight hours. The only reason they’d need to use the pagers is if something went wrong and neither of them wanted to talk about that possibility. They walked to the hospital cafeteria in silence. It was going to be a long day. 

**************************

Elizabeth walked into the diner Mozzie had picked out for their meeting. She looked around the room knowing she would find him in a corner near the back entrance. She smiled when she spotted him in a corner booth where he had a clear view of the entire room. She walked over and sat across from him.

“Mrs. Suit, you are looking even more lovely than usual today.”

“Thank you, Mozzie. I guess the time off work has been good for me.” She looked around the room briefly. “This looks like a nice place. How did you find it?”

“Let’s just say I always do my research. This place has one of the highest Health Department ratings in the area as well as a good selection of dairy-free and gluten-free choices.”

The waitress came over with the menus and asked if they would like anything to drink. 

Elizabeth thought a cup of coffee would be wonderful but she was trying to avoid caffeine. “I’ll just have a large glass of orange juice and some ice water, please.”

Mozzie ordered tea and then quietly studied El with an intensity that made her nervous. “Mrs. Suit, is there something you’d like to tell me?”

It was almost like he knew but, surely Neal wouldn’t have told Mozzie about her pregnancy. “Mozzie, what are you talking about?”

“You love your job and haven’t taken any significant time off since I’ve known you. You had an amazing job opportunity at the National Gallery which you quit after only a few days. You love coffee in the morning but you just ordered juice. You look so happy and relaxed that you practically glow.” Mozzie leaned forward and whispered conspiratorially, “How far along are you?”

“I should have known I couldn’t keep it from you. I’m ten weeks along. We wanted to keep it a secret until after the first trimester. You and Neal both know now. We haven’t even told our parents yet.”

“Your secret is safe with us. I’d be happy to act as your midwife.”

“Thanks, Moz, but I think I’ll be going with the modern trend of using an Obstetrician and hospital.”

Mozzie frowned. “I don’t trust hospitals.” 

El put her hand over Mozzie’s where it rested on the table. “Mozzie, Neal will be okay. We’ll be there with him to make sure they take good care of him, just like we did for you.” Mozzie nodded a bid sadly. “Moz, tell me about this mysterious project you wanted to discuss with me.”

Mozzie’s worry faded to the background as he shared his idea with El. As they ate their breakfast she became excited about the possibilities. 

“Oh, Mozzie, this is wonderful. But, weren’t most of Neal’s paintings destroyed in that not-to-be-spoken-of incident with the unmentionable treasure?”

Mozzie appreciated El’s effort to remain oblivious to the obvious. He had blown most of Neal’s paintings to smithereens in the Nazi treasure fiasco. Mozzie smiled in a vague, dumb-blond sort of way. “Really, El, though some of Neal’s paintings seem to have vanished there are still several of his best works stored in one of my safe houses. Neal is currently unaware of that fact, which we can use to our advantage.”

“I don’t know, Moz. Wouldn’t Neal like to be in charge of planning this? An artist’s work is very personal to them.”

Some of Mozzie’s excitement dimmed and he looked at El with a rare amount of openness. “El, I’ve let Neal down in the past by not realizing when his aspirations for the future had changed. I gave him an ultimatum that, looking back, was an impossible choice for Neal. And, if you’re honest, you’ll admit you hurt him as well. When you told him to do whatever it took to exonerate Peter it could have led to years in prison for Neal if he’d been caught. We owe him this. If it makes you feel better we can come up with some kind of con to get his help with the reception. And after the debut, he can rearrange the exhibit if he chooses. But I want to surprise him with this. Please.”

“Okay. I’m in. Neal Caffrey will soon be making his debut in the New York art world. What date did you have in mind for the event?”

“Well, Neal said his recovery would take four to eight weeks. Knowing Neal I’m thinking it will be closer to four weeks. I was thinking we should have it before he finishes his sentence so that he’ll have a smooth transition into his new life. But he might want a nice vacation too. What do you think?”

“How about three months from now? That will give him time to recover before the debut and then he’ll have a little time for the initial excitement to calm down so that he can go on a nice vacation. I can tell Peter about this, can’t I?”

“As long as he understands that it’s to be kept a secret from Neal. I know that as a government minion he is skilled at keeping secrets. Although, there was that time when he practically advertised our location on Cape Verde to the evil minions of that devious scoundrel Kramer.”

“That won’t happen this time, I promise. Mozzie, this is so exciting. I can’t wait to talk to June about it.” She glanced at her watch. “I should be getting back to the hospital. Are you sure you don’t want to come wait with us? You could wear a face mask to protect you from germs.”

“I might visit Neal later when he’s awake. I’d be happy to walk back to the hospital with you though. It’s a lovely day and the exercise would be good for you.”

 

They left the diner and walked along the sidewalk. Mozzie offered El his arm in a proper, gentlemanly fashion. “Thank you, Mozzie.”

“Thank you, Mrs. Suit.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had intended to make Mozzie's Plan a separate story but it wormed its' way in here and doesn't seem to want to leave. I have no knowledge of the art world and I'm open to suggestions concerning Neal's upcoming exhibition.


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Neal and his mom make it through their surgeries. Peter and Jack talk about Neal.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry it has been a such a long wait for this chapter. I've been distracted by the Bits of Fluff that keep popping into my head.

Peter sat beside Neal’s bed, exhausted from a long day of stress-filled waiting. Neal and his mother had both come through their surgeries well, and the doctors were optimistic. Now Peter waited for Neal to wake up again. Peter smiled fondly at Neal. It wasn’t surprising to Peter that Neal would have trouble staying awake while recovering from the anesthesia. 

“How’s he doing?” Jack stood in the doorway, leaning against the wall.

“They say he’s fine. He wakes up every now and then. He talks for a few minutes and drinks a bit of water then goes back to sleep. How’s Ann?”

“She’s good. Still a little out of it but she’s been asking about Neal.” Jack walked into the room and sat down in a chair next to Peter. “I wasn’t sure I was doing the right thing when I brought him here, ya know. It wasn’t my intention for him to do this.”

“Once he makes up his mind you can’t stop him. He’s got a stubborn streak a mile wide. And the doctors are optimistic about his recovery so he and Ann have a second chance at having a good relationship. You did a good thing, Jack.”

“Well, with them being in contact again it pretty much means an end to Ann’s participation in the Witness Protection Program. I’ve read the reports about James’ involvement with Pratt and the Flynns but maybe you can give me some more details. Is there anything we have to worry about there?”

“No, I don’t think so. It’s been thirty years and most of the people involved in that are dead. The Flynn family mob has been taken over by their former enemies and they aren’t likely to care about James being on the loose because there’s no indication that he knew anything about them. Pratt is dead. James is on the run. Neal made sure that it’s in James’ best interest to disappear. I think they’re safe.”

Peter’s attention was drawn to Neal by some mumbling noises. “Neal, are you awake?”

“Hmm. I’m workin’ on it.”

“How are you feeling? Should I call the nurse?”

“No, ‘m fine. Thirsty. What time is it?” Peter was pleased that Neal was speaking more clearly than when he had woken up previously.

Peter pressed the button to raise the head of the bed up a bit and held the cup of water for Neal to drink out of the straw. “It’s nearly five o’clock in the afternoon. Do you need something for the pain, Neal?”

“No.” Neal cleared his throat and took another sip of water. Peter thought he still seemed a bit out of it. There was an unfocused look in his eyes. “I’m fine.”

“Neal, you need to be honest with us about how you’re feeling. It’s important.”

“I never lie to you, Peter.” Jack watched the exchange between the two men with interest. “You never believe me. Told you the truth about base-jumping off a building with the Degas. Why don’t you ever believe me, Peter?”

“Neal, I believe you about a lot of things. But, I want you to try to think clearly right now. Focus. Do you really want me to believe you about the Degas?”

Neal’s forehead wrinkled as he stared at Peter and tried to clear the fog from his mind. He blinked owlishly. “Umm, allegedly. Hypothetically. Once upon a time?”

Peter laughed. “Okay, Buddy. With all the drugs in your system, nothing can be held against you. Just try to only answer the questions I ask. Are you in pain?”

“Not much.” Neal smiled. “This is another Kodak moment, isn’t it?” Neal’s goofy gaze shifted to Jack. “Hey, Jack. How’s Mom?”  
“She doing well. She’s been asking about you. She wanted me to tell you she loves you.”

“I love her too. Tell her. Okay?”

“She knows, but I’ll tell her anyway. I’d better go and let you rest. Peter can find me if you need me for anything.”

“Thanks, Jack.” Neal watched Jack leave and then his head flopped over to look at Peter again. “Where’s El?”

“She went back to the hotel to get some rest.”

“You should be with her. I’ll be fine on my own here. There’s nurses and stuff.” 

“El’s fine. Mozzie is with her. I’m planning on spending the night in this recliner and Mozzie said he would sleep on the couch in our hotel room.”

“You trust Mozzie to stay with your wife?”

“Sure, why not? El is on the ‘friends and family’ plan, right? I know I don’t rate as one of Mozzie’s friends, but he likes El.”

“Right. Mozzie is actually very loyal to people he considers to be friends. And he does like you. He just doesn’t trust you.” 

“I guess that’s understandable. Anyway, the nurse said you could have some jello if you’re feeling up to it. All you have to do it press the call button if you want something.”

“Maybe in a bit. I’m still a little out of it.”

Peter noticed that Neal wasn’t so ‘out of it’ that he couldn’t flirt with the pretty nurse who came in to check his vital signs. Although the nurse seemed unimpressed by Neal’s stubborn refusal of the good pain medication. She left to talk to the doctor to get a milder medication approved.

“Neal, you should just take the pain meds. There’s no reason to suffer through this.”

“Peter, I don’t like the way they affect me. I need to stay in control.” For years his life and freedom had depended on his ability to think quickly. He could deal with pain but felt almost panicked at the thought of being drugged. 

“Neal, if you’re worried you might incriminate yourself you can relax. I’m here as your friend and if you start rambling about past exploits I’ll tell you to shut up. I promise. You’ll sleep better if you’re not in pain. You’ll heal faster if you’re not in pain. At least for the first twenty-four hours take the good drugs. Please.”

Neal sighed in defeat. “Okay, but just for tonight.”

An hour later Neal had been given his pain medication and was having trouble staying awake. 

“Neal. Are you doing ok?”

“Sure, Peter. I’m fine. How are you?”

“I’m hungry. I was thinking I’d text Jack and see if he wants to meet me for dinner. Is that okay with you?”

“Sure, Peter. I’ll be fine. I like Jack, ya know?” 

“I know, Neal. He seems like a good guy. I’ll be back in a bit. Get some sleep.”

Peter texted Jack and they met in the cafeteria for dinner. 

“Jack. You look tired.” They carried their trays to a table by the window and sat down. 

“You look a little tired yourself. It’s been a long day.” Jack looked at the food in front of him and sighed. “I think I’m too tired to eat this.”

“Pretend you’re on a stakeout. You have to eat to get through the night.” Peter took a bite of his sandwich and washed it down with some iced tea.

“I’ve haven’t been on a stakeout in years. I spend most of my time these days behind a desk being a supervisor. Do you still do a lot of stakeouts?”

“Not as much as I used to. With the promotion I just got I’ll probably be tied to a desk now. Stakeouts aren’t as interesting now as they were when I was chasing Neal.” Peter smiled fondly at the memories. “He had food delivered to the van a few times. The other agents were afraid to eat it but I knew Neal wasn’t going to poison us. That was some of the best food I ever ate on a stakeout.”

Jack laughed at the story but then shook his head and became quiet. “Do you really think he can go straight, Peter?” 

“I do. He told me once that the con is like a high. It’s an addiction. At that time he hadn’t hit bottom yet but I think since then he’s hit bottom several times. There was his trip to Cape Verde that resulted in him getting shot in the leg by a rogue FBI agent. That was followed by Ellen’s death and the fiasco with that sorry excuse for a father. He’s lost girlfriends. I nearly threw him back in prison for something not too long ago.”

“He mentioned James had caused trouble between you two. I guess your willingness to be here with him now means that you’ve worked all that out.”

“Yeah. Neal has a good heart and he was only doing what he thought he had to do to fix things. We’ve agreed to disagree on his method. Anyway, I think he’s got the support he needs to succeed. Even Mozzie has come around to the idea of Neal going straight. He and my wife are making plans for Neal’s future.”

“That sounds interesting. You seem surprised that Mozzie wants him to go straight.” Jack leaned back in his chair. He’d eaten all he could of his meal but he was enjoying the conversation with Peter.

“Mozzie wants Neal to be happy. He seems to think of Neal as a little brother. They met in the early days of Neal’s criminal career and Mozzie mentored him. I’m sure if it was up to Moz he’d take Neal to Europe and they’d figure out a way to rob the Louvre but, he sees that’s not going to make Neal happy.”

“He sounds like a steadfast friend. I have to say my first impression of him was not very good. I thought he was a peculiar, paranoid little nut.”

Peter smiled. “That was pretty much my first impression too. But you left out smart. Mozzie is even smarter than Neal. Over the years I’ve seen the devotion they have to one another. I think Mozzie has kept Neal out of at least as much trouble as he’s gotten him into. Mozzie’s idea is to help Neal become a successful painter. With Mozzie’s brains and Neal’s artistic talent, I don’t have any doubt they’ll make it. But that is top secret intel. Neal doesn’t know, so keep it to yourself.”

“Understood. Let me know if there’s anything I can do to help.” Jack sighed and placed his napkin on his tray. “I guess I should be getting back to Ann.”

“Yep, I need to get back to Neal. It was good talking to you, Jack. I can’t say I’m okay with the kidnapping buy I’m glad you got Neal and his mom back together.”

“I guess we can agree to disagree about my methods.” 

Peter nodded as he got up from the table. “Text me when you’re ready for breakfast. Or anytime in the night if you need to.”

They walked out of the cafeteria together and went their separate ways, both feeling a bond of friendship.


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Neal recovers and has a visit from Mozzie.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize for the delay in posting this update. My mind has been busy chasing plot bunnies lately.

Neal’s recovery was going well and by the weekend he was spending as much time as possible walking the hallways and visiting his mother. The pain was bearable but he was concerned by his lack of energy. It seemed as though everything made him tired; walking, talking, reading, all caused him to want a nap. Neal was bored. He had been grateful to Peter for spending so much time at the hospital with him but began to feel guilty about keeping Peter here while El was in New York. His surgery had been on Monday and Mozzie had accompanied El back to New York on Wednesday. Neal had assured Peter several times on Friday that he would be fine on his own and Peter left Saturday morning for home.

Neal sighed and pushed his tray table away from the bed. To say the food was tolerable was being generous. He wondered if any local restaurants would deliver to the hospital. 

“You really should try to eat more of your lunch, Neal.” Neal looked up and saw Jack standing in the doorway.

“Jack, how’s mom doing today? I was just about to take a walk to visit with her.” Neal smiled and hoped Jack would forget about trying to get him to eat.

“She’s fine. The doctors think she may be able to go home Monday. I heard they might release you tomorrow.” Jack took a seat next to the bed. 

“Yeah, that’s what they told me. They want me to stay in Pittsburgh for another week though. The doctor wants to see me for a check-up next Friday before he releases me to return to New York. Mozzie is going to be back in town today so he can take care of me if they let me out tomorrow.”

“Mozzie?” Jack raised a questioning eyebrow. “Are you sure he’ll be okay to look after you?”

Neal sat up and slid his legs off the side of the bed. “Sure. Mozzie has nursed me through a few illnesses and injuries over the years. He hasn’t let me die yet.” He pulled his robe on and slowly stood up. “I could use a walk. Is Mom awake?”

“Yeah, she loves it when you visit. Do you need some help?” Jack hovered close to Neal’s side. 

“Jack, I’m fine. I’m still a little slow, but I can walk without help.” 

“Ok, sorry.” Jack stepped back and let Neal walk at his own pace, following closely in case he needed to help. Ann’s room was just across the hall and Neal made it there with no problem.

“Hi, Mom. How are you doing?” Ann was sitting in the recliner next to the bed so Neal eased himself up onto her bed. 

“I’m okay. Jack told me Peter left this morning. Are you doing ok?”

“I’m fine, Mom. Ready to get out of here though.”

“What are your plans for after you go back to New York. Will I see you again?” She had been separated from her son for too many years and was scared that she’d never see him after he left.

“Well, I still have a little over five months left on my sentence. So, I won’t be able to visit for a while. But after I’m released I’ll be around. And you can come to see me too. I don’t have any definite plans yet. I’ll need to find a job.”

There was a soft knock on the door and Neal looked up to see a short, bald man wearing a surgical mask. Neal smiled. “Moz, what are you doing here? You didn’t have to come. You could have just called.”

“When I was in the hospital you stayed with me. It’s what friends do.” Mozzie turned to the hand sanitizer dispenser and pumped a large amount into his hands. “I’ve loaded up on vitamin C and with proper precautions, I should be okay. Are you going to introduce me?”

“Sure. You’ve met Jack already. This is my Mom, Ann. Mom, this is my friend, Mozzie. I’ve known Mozzie since I first arrived in New York. He’s like the big brother I never had.”

Mozzie bowed slightly but didn’t offer to shake hands. “Ma’am, it’s very nice to meet you,” he said from behind his surgical mask. 

Ann was amused by Neal’s little friend but she kept a serious expression as she returned his greeting. “It’s very nice to meet you too, Mozzie.” She looked over at her son. “Neal, how old were you when you first got to New York?”

Neal shrugged. “I don’t remember exactly. Twenty-one I guess.”

A snorting noise was heard from behind Mozzie’s mask. “Please. You were still a teenager. When we first met you were wearing jeans, a t-shirt, and sneakers. You still had acne and ate nothing but burgers and Pepsi. ” Mozzie turned to Ann. “I practically raised him from a pup.”

Neal smiled with a deep affection for his friend. “Moz, you taught me a lot but, I was hardly a pup. And it might be best to avoid going into detail about the things you taught me. It was a bit of a shock for Mom to find out about my life choices.”

Mozzie blinked owlishly behind his glasses. “Ma’am, he may have made some choices that you don’t approve of but, Neal is a very kind and loyal man. You should be proud of him.”

“I am very proud of him, Mozzie. And I’m grateful to you for looking out for him when he was a pup.”

“It was my pleasure…most of the time. He was a bit of a handful at times. He still is, actually.”

Neal scowled at Moz playfully and then slowly stood up. “I think we should let Mom get some rest now, Moz. Mom, I’ll see you later, okay?” Ann nodded and smiled at them as they left the room.

Mozzie followed Neal across the hall to his room and hovered while Neal tried to get comfortable on the bed. 

“Neal, do you need something for the pain? You don’t look too good.”

“I’m fine, Moz. You know I don’t like drugs.” Neal pulled the blankets up and then leaned back with a sigh. “Mozzie, I’ve been thinking about what I’m going to do when I’m free. I’ll need a job. I’ll need a job that won’t bore me to tears. The problem is there aren’t a lot of opportunities for an ex-con. Do you have any advice, Moz?”

“You know I prefer to stay off the grid, which means self-employment at less than legal endeavors. Maybe you should ask the Suit for that kind of advice. He’s a pro at the common-man-daily-grind thing.”

“You may have a point there. But, Moz, I really can’t see myself working a regular job. Sure, there are things I like about working with the FBI but, there are times when the only way I can mentally make it through the day there is by counting the days till I’m free. If I get a regular job, I’m looking at thirty to forty years until I can retire.” He gave Mozzie a wide-eyed look. “That’s like a forty-year sentence, Moz. Doing the same thing day after day. I don’t think I can do it.” There was a note of panic in his voice. 

Mozzie reached over from his chair and laid his hand on Neal’s arm. “Relax. You’re Neal Caffrey, not Joe Average. You’re destined for greater things than a hum-drum nine-to-five existence. And there’s no rush to tie yourself down to a dead-end job. You have reserves to live on for a while. The bakery earns a good enough profit that you don’t need to worry much about money. You’re not rich, but you already have a monthly income.”

Neal was obviously stunned by Mozzie’s statement. “Really? I have income from the bakery? Why haven’t you mentioned this before?”

Mozzie was equally stunned. “I thought you knew. You told me to buy the bakery and make renovations. I did what you told me to do. I hired a chef and he hired a staff. The deposits are made into an account I set up for you. A legitimate account. Periodically I transfer funds to either your retirement portfolio or an account in the Cayman Islands. Like I said, you’re not rich, but you could get by with your current financial set-up.”

The smile that spread across Neal’s face gave Mozzie a feeling of pride. “Mozzie, you are amazing. Thank you. When I told you to buy the bakery I was only focused on the immediate need. I should have known you’d turn it into a successful investment. So, tell me, how much of a cut does my financial manager take?”

“Enough. I was able to buy a modest safe house upstate. We can go there for a little vacation after you get that anklet off.”

“That sounds great, Moz. But I still need to figure out what I’m going to do with my life.” Neal hesitated for a moment and Mozzie waited for him to continue. “Moz…I’ve been thinking about my paintings. Do you think I’d ever be able to sell any of them?” He shook his head and laughed sadly. “Sorry, I know I’m just being ridiculous. If they were any good you wouldn’t have blown them to bits, would you. Maybe I should think about becoming a house painter. There’s good money in that and, I could pretty much be my own boss. What do you think?”

Mozzie was a genius at lying and keeping secrets. He had never had any moral issues about telling lies. But there was something in those blue eyes looking at him at that moment that forced him to tell Neal the truth. “Neal, I didn’t destroy all of your paintings. I still have several of the best ones stashed away.” And when Mozzie saw the hope in those blue eyes he couldn’t stop himself from telling Neal more. “I can’t believe I’m going to tell you this. I swore Elizabeth to secrecy about it.” Mozzie cautiously took off the protective mask he still wore. “Neal, June and I are trying to plan an exhibition of your work. Elizabeth said she’d help. We wanted it to be a surprise.”

“It is a surprise, Moz. I can’t believe you kept some of my paintings and didn’t tell me. I want to hear all about what you’ve got planned. Oh…should I still act like I don’t know anything when I see Elizabeth?”

“No, I’ll let her know the cat’s out of the bag. She thought you’d want to help plan it anyway.” 

Mozzie filled Neal in on the plans for the exhibition and Neal interrupted now and then with ideas. After they’d talked a while Neal fell asleep. Mozzie took the opportunity to go across the hall and get better acquainted with Neal’s mom and step-dad. When they heard about the plans for Neal’s exhibition they insisted they wouldn’t miss it for the world.

Ann leaned across and put her hand on Mozzie’s arm. “Mozzie, I’m so glad Neal has such good friends in his life. Getting closer to him and meeting you all have made my illness something to be thankful for.”

Mozzie smiled awkwardly and nodded. He hadn’t expected to like Neal’s family but he could see that they loved Neal and would stand by him through the changes ahead in Neal’s life.


	14. Chapter 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As Neal recovers from his surgery he reflects on the changes in his life. A sappy, happy ending to this story.

Mozzie picked Neal up from the hospital when he was released on Sunday afternoon. Neal was quiet on the drive to his mom’s house. So much had happened in the last three weeks that Neal felt as though he was living a different life now. Suddenly he had a mother and step-dad who cared about him. He had the hope of a real life after his sentence was finished. Before his kidnapping his relationship with Peter had still been a little shaky but, now he felt like they had truly gotten over past conflicts. Even his relationship with Mozzie was different. He had never thought that Mozzie would accept his desire to go straight. 

Mozzie parked the car in the driveway and went around to open the door for Neal.

“Mozzie, you don’t need to hover over me. I’m fine.” Neal got out of the car slower than he normally would have but he didn’t need help.

“Ok, fine. But you are recovering from major surgery and you’ve been held captive by the industrial medical complex for a week. You can’t blame me for being concerned.”

“I do understand. I appreciate your concern, Moz.” They stood at the front door of the house and Neal looked at the door with consternation. “Moz, I don’t have a key. Do you have a set of picks?”

Mozzie reached into his pocket and pulled out a key. “Jack gave me a key.” He quickly unlocked the door and stepped aside for Neal to go in first.

“Jack trusted you with a key?” Neal walked into the house and carefully took a seat in the recliner.

“He did seem just a little reluctant but I assured him he was on the ‘friends and family plan’. I told him I wasn’t interested in stealing from him and I was more than capable of picking the lock if I didn’t have a key. He shrugged and handed it over.” Mozzie sat across from Neal and looked around nervously. He was wondering if he should scan for bugs now or wait until Neal fell asleep. 

Neal smiled knowingly at his friend. “Mozzie, I’m sure the place isn’t bugged. But, if it would make you feel better, go ahead and check. Could we have something to eat first though? I think there are some take-out menus in the kitchen.”

“I could make you an omelet if you’d like. It would be faster than getting take-out.” 

Neal couldn’t remember the last time he had seen Mozzie cook. “I didn’t think you liked to cook, Mozzie.”

“I don’t. But I am able to cook and I’d be happy to cook for you. Also, I would be able to scan for bugs sooner. I’m sure these people have eggs and cheese on hand. I’ll see if I can find some veggies to throw in it.”

“That would be great, Moz. Thanks.” Neal leaned back in the recliner and sighed with contentment. It was good to be out of the hospital. 

******************

After they’d eaten Mozzie began to sweep the house for bugs. Neal turned on the TV and found a documentary that put him to sleep within minutes. His nap was interrupted by an excited exclamation from Mozzie.

“Neal! Look what I found…Oh, sorry, I didn’t know you were asleep.” 

Neal slowly sat up and rubbed his eyes sleepily. “What did you find, Moz?” 

“I can show you later. Go back to sleep.” Mozzie started backing out of the room.

“I’m awake now, Moz. What did you find?” 

Mozzie held out a box for Neal to see. “I found a closet full of board games. This is a vintage edition of Masterpiece. I was looking through the cards. It appears there are some forgeries here. Would you know anything about that?”

“I might.” Neal smiled. “I painted those copies when I was about sixteen. I thought I was brilliant at the time.” 

“Was there ever a time when you didn’t think you were brilliant?” Mozzie laid the game on the coffee table and sat down on the couch. 

“I wasn’t feeling especially brilliant my first few weeks in prison, but I got over it. So, Moz, I’m guessing you didn’t find any bugs.”

“No bugs. Just a lot of ordinary stuff.” Mozzie stopped talking and looked at Neal intently. “It’s weird, ya know. I never really thought of you as a guy with a family. Sure, I know James was biologically your father, but he was never a dad. You never really trusted him and you weren’t surprised when he selfishly let Peter take the fall for him. You barely hesitated when you forged that confession that made him a fugitive for the rest of his life. But seeing you with your mom is different. She’s your family. No matter how badly she treated you when you were a kid you will be there when she needs you. Blood really is thicker than water.”

Neal nodded slowly. He’d known Mozzie for years and had come to understand his moods and idiosyncrasies. Mozzie hated talking about feelings but that didn’t mean he didn’t have them. “Mozzie, you are my family, too. You and June are my family of choice. You accept me for who and what I am. My mom, Peter, and El love me but there are conditions attached. I love them all but I know if I were to do something to get sent back to prison they wouldn’t be there for me anymore. But, with you and June I know that, no matter how bad my choices are, you’ll stick by me.” 

“I thought you were done with The Life. Why are you still thinking about what would happen if you went back to prison?”

“Because for all of my adult life it has been a shadow hanging over me. It was always a likely outcome of my actions. I don’t ever want to forget those horrible years of darkness because they are one of the things that motivate me to go straight. I know I would never survive another prison sentence.” Neal felt himself drifting down into a dark place and forced himself back to the present. “Let’s talk about something more cheerful, Moz. Tell me about the paintings you thought were good enough to save. How many are there? Is there enough for an exhibition or do I need to get busy on a few more?”

They spent the rest of the afternoon discussing Neal’s paintings before Neal went to bed, exhausted, at seven o’clock. 

Ann was released from the hospital the next afternoon and it wasn’t long before Mozzie felt an overwhelming need to return to New York. Neal and his mom were both healing well and Jack would be able to take care of them both. 

“Thanks for coming, Moz. I should be home next week and things can start to get back to normal.” 

Mozzie nodded as he closed the car window and then backed out of the driveway. Neal walked back into the house and thought about what he had just said to Mozzie. New York was his home but, this felt like home now too. He would use the next week to get to know his new-found family. This had definitely been the best kidnapping he’d ever experienced. 

The week flew by and was filled with laughter, a few tears, and plans for the future. Neal realized that he may have underestimated his relationship with his mother when he told Mozzie her love was conditional. Ann came to accept the path his life had taken and, though she hoped he would make better choices in the future, she swore to never let anything separate them again. 

************************

Neal absent-mindedly grabbed a tie and placed it around his neck. He looked into the mirror but was unable to focus on getting dressed. His mind was filled with doubts about whether he had made the right decisions leading up to tonight's event. 

Tonight was the opening of his art exhibition at the gallery and he was filled with excitement and doubt; anticipation and fear. He took a deep breath and slowly breathed out. He finished tying his tie with shaking fingers. 

“Neal? Are you ready to go?” He heard Peter call out as he entered Neal’s apartment. Neal looked at the clock and realized that he was running late. Although, he couldn’t understand why Peter had wanted to pick him up this early. 

“Yeah, Peter. I’ll be right out.” He slipped on his suit jacket and looked in the mirror to examine his appearance. He took a deep breath and pasted on a smile as he left the dressing room to greet Peter. “How do I look?” 

“You look fine. You look like a confident and successful artist. How do you feel?” 

“I feel like a conman trying to make people believe I’m an artist. I’m second-guessing every decision I’ve made about this in the last two months. I should have used an alias instead of my real name.” Peter watched in amazement as Neal’s confident exterior crumbled. “Can you imagine the reviews this will get? No one will take this seriously. I’m a convicted forger and an art thief trying to pass as a real artist. I should have used a pseudonym and stayed in the shadows.”

“Neal, sit down.” Peter wasn’t a man who was comfortable giving pep-talks and talking about feelings. However, he was comfortable giving ‘cowboy-up’ speeches. “First of all, you were only convicted of bond forgery. There has never been sufficient proof of art forgery. Second, you were never convicted for art theft so don’t ever let me hear that without the word ‘alleged’ in front of it.” Neal nodded and gave him a shadow of a smile. “Neal, I don’t know anything about the art world but, for what it’s worth, I think you made the right decision not to use a pseudonym. Sure, there may be some talk about your past tonight and in the near future. But, we’re talking about the rest of your life here. Start as you mean to go on. Be who you are. You’ve nearly finished your sentence and you should be proud of that. Now, cowboy up and let’s go.” He finished his speech and punctuated it with a smack on Neal’s arm. 

Neal laughed. “Thanks, Peter. You’re right. You know…I’ll miss these cowboy-up speeches.” He stood up and led the way to the door. 

“Neal.” Peter waited for Neal to stop and look at him. “Your sentence may be up soon but I’ll always be around when you need a cowboy-up speech and a punch on the arm.”

“How did I get so lucky,” Neal asked with cheerful sarcasm.

“I just do it to make my wife happy. And, speaking of Elizabeth, she won’t be happy if we’re late.” 

“We’re not likely to be late, are we? We have three hours before the opening and everything is already set up. I really don’t understand why El wants us there so early."

“This is one of those times when you just need to do what you’re told without asking questions. You trust me, right?”

“Hmm. I thought I did but you’re acting kind of shifty. It’s making me nervous.” 

“Now you know how I’ve felt for the last four years.” 

***********

Elizabeth had arranged for a surprise private reception to take place prior to the official opening of the exhibition. When Neal entered the gallery he was greeted by applause from all of his friends and family. 

Tears came to his eyes as he saw the look of pride in his mother’s eyes. She wrapped her arms around him and hugged him. “I’m so proud of you, Son.” 

“Thanks, Mom.” He kissed her cheek and then turned to Jack with a smile. “Thanks again for kidnapping me, Jack.”

“It was my pleasure. Cuffer will be here later. He was a little disappointed he didn’t get a chance to take you to the museums in Pittsburgh.”

“Really? Well, I’ll be able to come for a visit soon. He can take me then.” 

Elizabeth raised her voice to make an announcement. “I think we all need a speech from the guest of honor. Neal…”

“I wasn’t expecting to give a speech tonight.” Everyone grew quiet as he began to speak. “I would like to thank you all for coming. Thank you for your encouragement and emotional support. Four years ago, when I was returned to prison after my escape, I had very little hope left in life. Peter came and offered me a chance to do something good with my life. He told me his wife talked him into it. It was a big risk for him and I’m still surprised that he took it. I had ulterior motives for taking the deal and I’m sure he knew that.” Peter smiled and nodded. “I know I let him down a few times. I know there were times when he regretted getting me out of prison. We’ve argued, fought, and hurt each other. Yet, somehow, he found the faith to not give up on me. Thank you, Peter. And thank you, Elizabeth.

“June… what can I say? You rescued me from living in that flea-bag motel that Peter dumped me in. You gave me clothes to wear and a wonderful place to live. When I was happy, you rejoiced with me. When I was hurt you comforted me. You loved me like a son. You were a mother to me when I didn’t know where my real mother was. Thank you for your unwavering support. 

“Moz, I know you don’t like to be the focus of attention so I won’t go into details. I’ll just say thanks for allegedly doing all you’ve done for me. You have stood by me through thick and thin; through fire and FED. Thanks, Moz.

“Diana… I’ve stayed in hotels all over the world. I’ve had nights of passion and nights of pain. There were a few nights of panic when Peter nearly caught me. The best night I ever spent in a hotel was the night you and I stayed up talking. We laughed, cried, and got to know each other a little better. You didn’t treat me like just a criminal and, that meant more to me than you will ever know. 

“Jones, you saved my life more than once. I know you never fully trusted me but, you treated me with respect. You gave me advice when I needed it and, I know there was a brief moment when you nearly offered to take responsibility for me when Peter was almost ready to give up on me. Just don’t ask me how I know that; it could get me into trouble…Actually, forget I said that. Umm…thanks for stuff, Jones.” Neal raised his glass of champagne in salute to all of his friends and then turned to his mother. 

“Mom, Jack, thank you for coming tonight. I love you both and I’m glad to have you in my life. I look forward to spending more time with you soon.” 

Neal looked around the room and again raised his glass in salute. “Thank you all. Whether I become a successful painter or not is unimportant. To quote Clarence in It’s A Wonderful Life, ‘no man is a failure who has friends’”.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to all who have encouraged me while I worked on this story. Your kudos and comments were very much appreciated.


End file.
